Sunday, February 3, 2013
Boldin's last game as a Raven?
By Tom Carpenter
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter noted recently that the Baltimore Ravens will be about $16 million over the salary cap if they franchise Joe Flacco (assuming the financial break via Ray Lewis' retirment). With that in mind, they may have some difficult roster decisions to make this offseason.
"With Baltimore projected to be over the salary cap, the Ravens will consider releasing wide receiver Anquan Boldin to free up $5.5 million in salary-cap space, according to league sources," Schefter said Sunday. "The Ravens also could free up another $3.5 million of cap space they will need by cutting wide receiver Jacoby Jones. So two Ravens wide receivers playing Sunday might be playing their last game with the team."
While it may make financial sense to cut Boldin, ESPN AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley thinks it would be a tough hit to them competitively:
Jamison Hensley
Who's playing final game with Ravens?"I would have been on board with cutting ties with Boldin earlier this season, but he has made the decision more difficult recently. Over the past four games, Boldin has caught 23 passes for 369 yards (92.2 yards per game) and three touchdowns. Boldin, though, has always been valuable in the postseason. Since joining the Ravens in 2010, he has totaled the NFL's most receiving yards (512) in the playoffs and is tied with 49ers tight end Vernon Davis for the most touchdown catches (five). Plus, it's not as if Baltimore has a receiver on the roster who can step into Boldin's starting role. If the Ravens don't keep Boldin, they're going to have to find another starting receiver."
