Monday, June 16, 2008

Boldin Still Wants Out? Cowboys and Eagles are primary candidates

BOLDIN SAY HE’S UNSURE ABOUT TRAINING CAMP
Posted by Mike Florio

Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, who previously denied rumors that he wants a trade, now says that he might not report for training camp.

“I honestly can’t say at this point,” Boldin told Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ official web site via text message.

The problem is that the Cardinals paid receiver Larry Fitzgerald a four-year, $40 million contract earlier this year. That’s a lot more than what Boldin is earning, and the gap between the two players’ abilities is far narrower than the gap between their paychecks.

Boldin skipped the team’s voluntary workouts, but attended the mandatory minicamp. He showed up for the mandatory offseason practices, thus avoiding daily fines in excess of $8,000 and, possibly, an obligation to repay a big chunk of his signing bonus.

For training camp, the fine increases to more than $15,000 per day, and the signing bonus remains at risk. So look for Boldin to show up. He can talk tough for now, but when it’s time to report for duty or risk losing a lot of money, he’ll be there.

The broader question is whether the Cardinals will keep him. The Ken Whisenhunt offense isn’t premised on a high-powered passing game, so paying a huge amount of money to two wideouts doesn’t make much sense, especially with so many other needs on the roster. There’s still a chance, then, that the Cardinals will ship Boldin to another team. Primary candidates, as we see it, are the Cowboys and the Eagles.