All Quiet At The Ranch On Boldin Front
Mickey Spagnola - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
August 20, 2008 10:50 PM
IRVING, Texas - There was no way with 25,000 people trekking into Texas Stadium Wednesday evening for the Miller Lite 2008 Cowboys Silver and Blue Debut that the topic of wide receivers wasn't going to come up.
Not with the Cowboys a man down at that position with Miles Austin missing the free workout with a sprained MCL in his right knee and all the talk coming out of Flagstaff, Ariz., about Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin asking to be traded for either the first time or the second time, depending on who you believe.
And sure enough, the topic of wide receivers came up in the Stadium Club, with the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys Brad Sham interviewing Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, who was answering questions provided by fans. And while Jones said he could not specifically answer a question like that about a player under contract with another team, he did remind the fans gathered around how owner Jerry Jones had said during the off-season he would do what he could to upgrade the wide receiver position if an opportunity presented itself.
Jerry Jones meant, of course, potentially trading for a veteran wide receiver who could provide instant help rather than drafting one in the second or third round. Nothing materialized in the off-season, and Cardinals officials are insisting no matter what the veteran Boldin says, they have no interest in trading a guy under a contract averaging $4 million a year for three more years.
But Stephen Jones would go on to say, "If we have a chance to improve ourselves, we'll look at that."
And while rumors were quickly spreading on Wednesday that the Cowboys were offering a first-round pick in 2009 and starting defensive end Marcus Spears for Boldin, a club source said the Cowboys absolutely had made no offer to the Cardinals for the veteran wideout. Also remember, any remaining prorated signing bonus immediately escalates against the salary cap when a player is traded, and in Spears case, that would be $2.68 million charging the Cowboys cap.
Of course the operative word Stephen Jones used is "chance." Because Boldin, if the Cardinals were willing to trade him and if the asking price wasn't prohibitive, would improve any team. During his five NFL seasons, Boldin has caught 413 passes for 5,458 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The source of Boldin's unhappiness with the Cardinals is the four-year, $40 million contract they signed fellow wideout Larry Fitzgerald to this off-season that included $30 million in guarantees. Boldin's five-year, more than $23 million extension signed two years ago pales in comparison.
But again, if indeed the Cardinals changed their minds and if a team could afford the asking price, then Boldin's contract demands would have to be met, likely creating some salary-cap headaches this time of year for any team.
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
August 20, 2008 10:50 PM
IRVING, Texas - There was no way with 25,000 people trekking into Texas Stadium Wednesday evening for the Miller Lite 2008 Cowboys Silver and Blue Debut that the topic of wide receivers wasn't going to come up.
Not with the Cowboys a man down at that position with Miles Austin missing the free workout with a sprained MCL in his right knee and all the talk coming out of Flagstaff, Ariz., about Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin asking to be traded for either the first time or the second time, depending on who you believe.
And sure enough, the topic of wide receivers came up in the Stadium Club, with the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys Brad Sham interviewing Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, who was answering questions provided by fans. And while Jones said he could not specifically answer a question like that about a player under contract with another team, he did remind the fans gathered around how owner Jerry Jones had said during the off-season he would do what he could to upgrade the wide receiver position if an opportunity presented itself.
Jerry Jones meant, of course, potentially trading for a veteran wide receiver who could provide instant help rather than drafting one in the second or third round. Nothing materialized in the off-season, and Cardinals officials are insisting no matter what the veteran Boldin says, they have no interest in trading a guy under a contract averaging $4 million a year for three more years.
But Stephen Jones would go on to say, "If we have a chance to improve ourselves, we'll look at that."
And while rumors were quickly spreading on Wednesday that the Cowboys were offering a first-round pick in 2009 and starting defensive end Marcus Spears for Boldin, a club source said the Cowboys absolutely had made no offer to the Cardinals for the veteran wideout. Also remember, any remaining prorated signing bonus immediately escalates against the salary cap when a player is traded, and in Spears case, that would be $2.68 million charging the Cowboys cap.
Of course the operative word Stephen Jones used is "chance." Because Boldin, if the Cardinals were willing to trade him and if the asking price wasn't prohibitive, would improve any team. During his five NFL seasons, Boldin has caught 413 passes for 5,458 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The source of Boldin's unhappiness with the Cardinals is the four-year, $40 million contract they signed fellow wideout Larry Fitzgerald to this off-season that included $30 million in guarantees. Boldin's five-year, more than $23 million extension signed two years ago pales in comparison.
But again, if indeed the Cardinals changed their minds and if a team could afford the asking price, then Boldin's contract demands would have to be met, likely creating some salary-cap headaches this time of year for any team.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:17 PM
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