Quote Originally Posted by srobert96 View Post
Ravens have little leverage with Q. Before the playoff run they could have extended him. Now he is probably not considered to be that over paid. He would probably take being cut versus an extension that reduces his pay this year.



I don't think this is correct at all. Boldin is due a $6 million salary this year. That's a lot of a money for a 33 year old WR. If the Ravens cut him, he isn't getting $6 million base salary anywhere else. He is likely going to get $9 million over 2 years with probably a $2 million signing bonus and a base salary of $3 million for year #1 of that contract.

There will be no Vincent Jackson like contract this upcoming year. Greg Jennings is 3 years younger than Boldin and he is projected to get about 4 years/$30 million in Free Agency this upcoming year, so to think Boldin would get the $6 million he's due in 2013 is a bit of a stretch.

Like I've been saying all along, offer Boldin an extension of $2.5 (probably $3.5 million due to his performance now) for 2014 with a $900k signing bonus. This would make his 2013 salary guaranteed. Then take $4.6 of his $6 million base salary for 2013 and convert it into a bonus. This would be a win/win for both teams.

The Ravens would be able to push $2.3 of Boldin's base salary for 2013 into 2014. His cap # now becomes $5.23 million instead of $7.53. His 2014 cap # would be around $5.8, which is high, but justifiable with the cap going up considerably.

For Boldin, it's a huge win. He gets $900k to pocket as part of his extension bonus and an additional $4.6 bonus as a reward for restructuring. That's $5.5 million he gets in his pocket before he even steps on a practice field for OTAs. When you reach age 33, your salary isn't nearly as important as the guaranteed money and bonus money that you can get up front, and Boldin would make out like a bandit here. There is no way he'd get a $5.5 bonus on the free agent market right now.