Boldin News (Merged)

[landshark52]

Yes, please.

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Also yes please. Third round gem.

[JohnBKistler]

This is ridiculous news IF it's not a bluff.

Ozzie doesn't play those games. It's real.

[ursula]

1) Caldwell is not running the show. This is Ozzie saying that Boldin needs to cut his contract down or get released. The odds are good that he will take a pay cut like a bunch of other NFL players are doing now to stay with their teams. Cutting Boldin's salary is preferable to extending him since it would put him on a year to year basis and at his age that's wise. But the main thing is to get his cap number down. That's priority #1.

2) The Ravens are not targeting Austin or any other WR in the draft specifically. Any thoughts that any specific rookie could fill Boldin's shoes (or have his hands) is really silly. The important thing here is not Austin or any rookie but creating cap space.

3) If the Ravens are targeting anything in the draft it is defense. Just like Ozzie said-starting with the DL.

4) The Ravens need cap space to sign Ellerbe or any other FA.

[D-RavedUp5-27-52-20]

It would be a huge blow if Boldin leaves. I understand he has a huge salary that should be re worked but he has to stay. I laugh at people saying Doss, Streeter, LQ, Thomposn or a rookie going to automatically take over Boldin's spot. I just don't see how is that going to happen. We are going in to next season as defending champs. My conclusion keep him somehow somway.

[RavenScallywag]

1) Caldwell is not running the show. This is Ozzie saying that Boldin needs to cut his contract down or get released. The odds are very high that he will take a pay cut like a bunch of other NFL players are doing now to stay with their teams. Cutting Boldin's salary is preferable to extending him since it would put him on a year to year basis and at his age that's wise.

2) The Ravens are not targeting Austin or any other WR in the draft specifically. Any thoughts that any specific rookie could fill Boldin's shows is really silly. The important thing here is not Austin or any rookie but creating cap space.

3) If the Ravens are targeting anything in the draft it is defense. Just like Ozzie said-starting with the DL.

4) The Ravens need cap space to sign Ellerbe or any other FA.

1. Considering how close the Ravens came to releasing him yesterday, I think the money is against him taking the cut. Our only hope now is by Monday or Tuesday, Ravens propose an extension that will lower his salary, but give him more money long term.

2. Agree

3. Disagree, Ravens could be targeting offensive players too. We need a LT solution, we need a suitor at WR.

4. We have some cap space...Probably need a little more to make a FA play, but I think Ozzie isn't going to be a major player in FA. mainly looking to retain a few key guys and use our 11 draft picks.

[wickedsolo]

They could also be creating cap space to make sure that they can keep Ed Reed for another year or two. He still has some value here.

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[sopranocorleone]

4) The Ravens need cap space to sign Ellerbe or any other FA.

I'm not even sure which free agent -- our own or from another team -- is even worth what Boldin brings to the Ravens.

I would be completely fine going into free agency with about $3 M in cap space and operating that way.

The team will need to make room to sign their draft picks. But at that rate, if they cut other players like Leach and BA, that should be sufficient to offset the difference.

To me, it shouldn't even get to the point where they need to cut Boldin to gain more room. I wouldn't cut Boldin until it was an absolute necessity. I hope the front office can get something worked out because with Boldin, this is a top 10 offense next season.

[landshark52]

4) The Ravens need cap space to sign Ellerbe or any other FA.

I'm not even sure which free agent -- our own or from another team -- is even worth what Boldin brings to the Ravens.

I would be completely fine going into free agency with about $3 M in cap space and operating that way.

The team will need to make room to sign their draft picks. But at that rate, if they cut other players like Leach and BA, that should be sufficient to offset the difference.

To me, it shouldn't even get to the point where they need to cut Boldin to gain more room. I wouldn't cut Boldin until it was an absolute necessity. I hope the front office can get something worked out because with Boldin, this is a top 10 offense next season.

All true, the Ravens have shown to be able to plug and play on defense but wide receiver is a whole different ball game.

[leachisabeast]

4) The Ravens need cap space to sign Ellerbe or any other FA.

I'm not even sure which free agent -- our own or from another team -- is even worth what Boldin brings to the Ravens.

I would be completely fine going into free agency with about $3 M in cap space and operating that way.

The team will need to make room to sign their draft picks. But at that rate, if they cut other players like Leach and BA, that should be sufficient to offset the difference.

To me, it shouldn't even get to the point where they need to cut Boldin to gain more room. I wouldn't cut Boldin until it was an absolute necessity. I hope the front office can get something worked out because with Boldin, this is a top 10 offense next season.

The draft barely affects the cap at all, because of the new CBA most of the rookies are earning as much as your ERFAs are earning, who are already under contract before the draft.

[ursula]

1. Considering how close the Ravens came to releasing him yesterday, I think the money is against him taking the cut. Our only hope now is by Monday or Tuesday, Ravens propose an extension that will lower his salary, but give him more money long term.

2. Agree

3. Disagree, Ravens could be targeting offensive players too. We need a LT solution, we need a suitor at WR.

4. We have some cap space...Probably need a little more to make a FA play, but I think Ozzie isn't going to be a major player in FA. mainly looking to retain a few key guys and use our 11 draft picks.

Yeah you are right and I will restate what I am thinking. If we do cut Boldin we may target offensive players early. WR, LT. Sure doesn't look like there is much value at 32 though for a LT, and besides we may pick up a cheaper McKinnie-like LT still. That player may not come to the team until August.. WR...there seems to me decent value through 4 rounds. We could take Austin but the team would have to feel like Austin is easily the best value at that point and I kinda doubt that is true.

Another thing about WR: we fans do not know what Caldwell thinks of Reed, Williams, Thompson, and Streeter. It could be that unlike Cam, Caldwell sees real potential in them. We did see once Cam was fired that Doss was targeted more and on crucial downs. and we saw Reed make catches. Neither would have happened under Cam. And now in the coming year Caldwell will revamp the passing playbook, introducing another variable that us fans have to deal with in projecting who the WR corps will be. So it could be that the team (Caldwell) likes the WR's we have now well enough to let go of Boldin and not immediately feel a need to try and draft a starter. We are really in the dark here.

But targeting Boldin for cap relief over Leach or others is interesting, ain't it? Says a lot.

[B-more Ravor]

This isn't a decision about next year, it's a decision about the next 5 years. They made it very clear at that PC that they aren't going to be sentimental and they aren't look short term like they did after the 2001 SB.

This move is about creating Cap space so that they can strengthen the team for the long term. As much as we all love Boldin and don't want to see him go, they obviously feel that they need that Cap space to be able to sign/re-sign other players that are going to be here for the long term, not a WR that has a year or two left.

All that said, hopefully, they can come to a number that allows them to do both.

[LouisianaRaven]

Well, this Sucks... Saturday ruined

[B-more Ravor]

Doesn't sound like it's a restructure. It's asking him to take a pay cut. Two separate things.

It could really be both - a paycut and an extension. For instance, they could be offering him a $3M bonus on a 3-year deal, with just a $1M salary for 2013. He'd only get $4M this year, so it would be a paycut, but there would be 2 more years added to the deal.

They could also be asking him to take less in base salary, but offer him incentives that would allow him to make that money if his performance warrants it. That could happen just on a 1-year deal (so it would be a restructure and a paycut) or it could also have added years.

[JohnBKistler]

All that said, hopefully, they can come to a number that allows them to do both.

I doubt Boldin will get $6M on the FA market...but you never know, there are some dumb GMs out there...he'll get a market offer...the question then becomes does he allow the Ravens to match it (or beat it by a dollar), or will he feel it is best now to move on.

[leachisabeast]

Boldin is one of my favorite Ravens I really don't want him to be gone. But the same people worrying about Boldin being cut are the same people who constantly complain about the lack of cap space every year, well you can't have it both ways. Why do you think the Ravens are tight against the wall every year? Because we draft good players and have to pay them, or we make good signings on players that eventually have large cap hits down the line.

Cutting Boldin would save 6 million, that would put us up roughly around $18.2M. Obviously take into account his roster replacement, that will go down to $17.72, then you have to knock all the tenders off of that which will likely leave us with roughly $11M in cap space. But thats even before further possible cuts like Leach, McClain, and BA. You can make some moves with 11 million, and the Ravens will likely be able to keep Ellerbe and Reed with that amount, and then probably bring some FAs in.

[GaTechRavens]

This is ridiculous news IF it's not a bluff. We really cannot afford to go into next season without Boldin on this team. I would rather have him here, this year, at his current cap hit, than any of the players we might be losing, including Ed Reed. And I'd rather keep him than Leach or Jacoby Jones too.

Sure we can. We go through this literally every offseason. We lose guys who are "indispensable" - a good number of them better than Boldin - but come autumn we don't miss a beat. I'm not sure why people don't just get the memo and trust what Ozzie is doing.

I would love to see this turn into a 2-3 year "retire a Raven" extension for him. I'll be thrilled if the FO convinces him to take less money to stay, but if he winds up getting released, that's just terrible. Someone WILL pay him, and Flacco trusts him in a big way. He can make plays while covered and no one else on this team is very good at that.

Torrey is. Maybe we can replace Boldin with someone who doesn't get covered in the first place.

[RavenScallywag]

I doubt Boldin will get $6M on the FA market...but you never know, there are some dumb GMs out there...he'll get a market offer...the question then becomes does he allow the Ravens to match it (or beat it by a dollar), or will he feel it is best now to move on.

If the best market deal he could get is 4 per...then maybe he lets the Ravens match it, because I really can't see Ozzie telling him "we only want you here for one more year".

I said he might not return if we cut him, but I guess if the money ends up being about even, he stays. But, if someone offers him 6, he probably won't bother to come back to us because again, why cut him and then re-sign him at the same rate?

[GOTA]

There are a lot of big name receivers due to hit the market. Boldin is not really in a great position to get another big contract. Hopefully whatever pay cut they are discussing makes sense for both sides and they come to a deal.

[RavenScallywag]

Torrey is. Maybe we can replace Boldin with someone who doesn't get covered in the first place.

Torrey factors into the picture here, but both ways. Torrey is our future at WR, and in 2 years, we need to account for his new deal. But that said, until we have someone we know can line up opposite Torrey and command some attention from DCs, then cutting Boldin and replacing with <insert any WR name here> is going to worsen our game on offense.

[Stone]

Whatever happens I hope something is worked out where Boldin stays. I believe the guy has at least two years left, but again, It's a business right? I certainly don't want to see him on the Colts or Pats playing against us. Dude should retire a Raven. We shall see.