Primetime0201
Benched
- Messages
- 547
- Reaction score
- 0
Deal? Boldin lets agent handle it
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 18, 2008 12:00 AM
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin laughed at the question, as is his custom when the answer calls for some diplomacy.
So, as a receiver, he was asked, did Larry Fitzgerald's new four-year $40 million contract leave you smiling?
"Yeah," Boldin said. "It lets you know what's out there."
What's out there for Boldin is a similar payday. Like Fitzgerald, Boldin has made two Pro Bowls in his career and is regarded as one of the game's better young receivers. Statistically, little separates the two - except money.
Fitzgerald's new contract, agreed to last week, averages $10 million a year. Boldin's, signed shortly before the 2005 season, averages just under $4 million and runs through 2010.
The deals are not comparable, and Boldin hopes the team will address his contract status this year. But
he's not stressing about it.
"I leave that up to my agent (Drew Rosenhaus)," Boldin said Monday after working out at the team's facility. "They'll go back and forth. He'll keep me in the loop for the most part, but I can't be worried about that. I think when players get involved in that, that starts to affect their play on the field.
"Me, I can go home and sleep good at night, staying out of the business side of it and just concentrating on what I need to do."
Most players say that, Boldin acknowledges, but he said he means it.
"I actually do let my agent take care of it, because if you don't, you'll be stressed out about this and that, and things that you have no business stressing over," he said. "Besides, you can't do anything about it, anyways."
Cardinals General Manager Rod Graves is optimistic about the chances of keeping Fitzgerald and Boldin together, calling them a "dynamic duo," but there are challenges.
"In addition to keeping our core players happy, we're still working on building our football team," Graves said. "It's a matter of juggling which comes first, and it's always going to be a challenge in that regard. I'm looking forward to sitting down with his (Boldin's) representative."
Rosenhaus declined to discuss the situation.
If Boldin were to receive a comparable deal, the Cardinals could have about $20 million of space, or around 20 percent, tied up in two receivers. Boldin said he believes it's possible to keep two elite receivers. The Rams did it for years with Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. The Colts are doing it with Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison.
"So I'm not worried about us being broken up," he said.
Boldin prefers to look at the positive side of Fitzgerald's new contract. It created additional cap space that gives the club some breathing room. And it's another example, Boldin said, of the team's commitment to keeping "guys we really value, guys who have been productive the past couple years."
Sometimes, players in his situation stay away in the off-season, calling upon the only leverage they have in pursuing a new contract. Boldin tried that in spring 2005, skipping a mandatory minicamp and nearly driving himself crazy in the process.
He returned to voluntary drills the next week and received a new contract as training camp started that summer.
"It's not me," Boldin said of staying away. "I'm here to play football and play football only. It's not my job to sit here and worry about negotiations, and if they are going to get me done, or when, or things like that. That's just not me. I love to play football. I love to be around the guys."
Note
Fitzgerald's contract is not yet official, and that has caused some juggling on the Cardinals' part. The team had to cut receiver Sean Morey to fit long snapper Nathan Hodel's contract under the salary cap. Morey is expected to be re-signed when Fitzgerald's deal is completed and the team gains the cap space that comes with it. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are in a holding pattern in negotiations for Rams linebacker Brandon Chillar because they don't have the cap space to sign him. Club officials expect Fitzgerald's deal to be finalized soon, Graves said.
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 18, 2008 12:00 AM
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin laughed at the question, as is his custom when the answer calls for some diplomacy.
So, as a receiver, he was asked, did Larry Fitzgerald's new four-year $40 million contract leave you smiling?
"Yeah," Boldin said. "It lets you know what's out there."
What's out there for Boldin is a similar payday. Like Fitzgerald, Boldin has made two Pro Bowls in his career and is regarded as one of the game's better young receivers. Statistically, little separates the two - except money.
Fitzgerald's new contract, agreed to last week, averages $10 million a year. Boldin's, signed shortly before the 2005 season, averages just under $4 million and runs through 2010.
The deals are not comparable, and Boldin hopes the team will address his contract status this year. But
he's not stressing about it.
"I leave that up to my agent (Drew Rosenhaus)," Boldin said Monday after working out at the team's facility. "They'll go back and forth. He'll keep me in the loop for the most part, but I can't be worried about that. I think when players get involved in that, that starts to affect their play on the field.
"Me, I can go home and sleep good at night, staying out of the business side of it and just concentrating on what I need to do."
Most players say that, Boldin acknowledges, but he said he means it.
"I actually do let my agent take care of it, because if you don't, you'll be stressed out about this and that, and things that you have no business stressing over," he said. "Besides, you can't do anything about it, anyways."
Cardinals General Manager Rod Graves is optimistic about the chances of keeping Fitzgerald and Boldin together, calling them a "dynamic duo," but there are challenges.
"In addition to keeping our core players happy, we're still working on building our football team," Graves said. "It's a matter of juggling which comes first, and it's always going to be a challenge in that regard. I'm looking forward to sitting down with his (Boldin's) representative."
Rosenhaus declined to discuss the situation.
If Boldin were to receive a comparable deal, the Cardinals could have about $20 million of space, or around 20 percent, tied up in two receivers. Boldin said he believes it's possible to keep two elite receivers. The Rams did it for years with Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. The Colts are doing it with Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison.
"So I'm not worried about us being broken up," he said.
Boldin prefers to look at the positive side of Fitzgerald's new contract. It created additional cap space that gives the club some breathing room. And it's another example, Boldin said, of the team's commitment to keeping "guys we really value, guys who have been productive the past couple years."
Sometimes, players in his situation stay away in the off-season, calling upon the only leverage they have in pursuing a new contract. Boldin tried that in spring 2005, skipping a mandatory minicamp and nearly driving himself crazy in the process.
He returned to voluntary drills the next week and received a new contract as training camp started that summer.
"It's not me," Boldin said of staying away. "I'm here to play football and play football only. It's not my job to sit here and worry about negotiations, and if they are going to get me done, or when, or things like that. That's just not me. I love to play football. I love to be around the guys."
Note
Fitzgerald's contract is not yet official, and that has caused some juggling on the Cardinals' part. The team had to cut receiver Sean Morey to fit long snapper Nathan Hodel's contract under the salary cap. Morey is expected to be re-signed when Fitzgerald's deal is completed and the team gains the cap space that comes with it. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are in a holding pattern in negotiations for Rams linebacker Brandon Chillar because they don't have the cap space to sign him. Club officials expect Fitzgerald's deal to be finalized soon, Graves said.