Baltimore trades Boldin for a 6th rounder?

[JustRalph]

http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=9040950


Gotta be worth more than that?

[NJ Stinks]

If they asked Bodin to take a salary cut because they overpaid Joe, I don't blame Boldin for leaving.

[Hosshead]

He's a great receiver and a big reason the Ravens won.
Saw Flacko on the news and he kinda downplayed the trade.
Maybe he thinks that anybody should catch the passes thrown by such a highly paid QB.
A lot of "Brotherly Love" to trade him to the Niners.

[cj]

Boldin is at the tail end of his career. Good franchises don't pay big money for aging veterans.

[Robert Goren]

From what I have know about his contract, the plan for the Ravens was always 3 years and bye-bye. The plan worked really well for the Ravens which seldom happens these days.

[Robert Fischer]

good addition to the Niners.

[Robert Fischer]

Boldin is at the tail end of his career. Good franchises don't pay big money for aging veterans.

I think he only has 1 more year @ 6 million. That puts him somewhere in the bottom of the top-20 WR cap hits for 2013.

Not a bad contract at all, considering his production.

WR isn't the worst place to go young at - there's tons of athletes who can fill in and produce.

Hopefully this just means the Ravens are refusing to cut other areas, and not that Flacco's contract is already hurting them.

[redshift1]

I think he only has 1 more year @ 6 million. That puts him somewhere in the bottom of the top-20 WR cap hits for 2013.

Not a bad contract at all, considering his production.

WR isn't the worst place to go young at - there's tons of athletes who can fill in and produce.

Hopefully this just means the Ravens are refusing to cut other areas, and not that Flacco's contract is already hurting them.

Some of the best college WR's in a long time will be in the next couple of drafts.

[Valuist]

Considering the two teams involved, you can't help but think there was some kind of collusion. There was one other team interested-Minnesota, and they offered a 7th rounder. I'm sure Jim said to John, "whatever is offered, we will beat by one round." Presto, deal is done for a 6th rounder.

Boldin is an upgrade over Moss, at this point in their careers. A healthy Manningham and Crabtree as well as Vernon Davis at tight end? They also are loaded with draft picks this season. They are going to be good for a while.

[Striker]

They got something as compared nothing, as my guess would be that he would have been released if they couldn't find any other team willing to give them something in return. Reminds me of the Brandon Marshall trade to the Bears for a 3rd round pick, where the Dolphins were probably going to release him if the Bears didn't give them that draft pick.

[Valuist]

They got something as compared nothing, as my guess would be that he would have been released if they couldn't find any other team willing to give them something in return. Reminds me of the Brandon Marshall trade to the Bears for a 3rd round pick, where the Dolphins were probably going to release him if the Bears didn't give them that draft pick.

Marshall cost the Bears 3rd rounders in 2012 and 2013. Not just one 3rd rounder.

[1st time lasix]

I recall thinking that Boldin should get the mvp in superbowl for his outstanding performance. Of course he probably didn't have a pre-planned "I'm going to Disneyland " tape.

[cj's dad]

The raven's wanted AB to take a $2M pay cut. He said no, Ozzie said go.

Jacoby Jones willl fit in fine in his place.

[Striker]

Marshall cost the Bears 3rd rounders in 2012 and 2013. Not just one 3rd rounder.
Forgot about the 2nd 3rd round pick.

[ldiatone]

m wallace wr to the "fins".

[Valuist]

m wallace wr to the "fins".

Then I would expect Greg Jennings to go to Minnesota.

Bears sign TE Martellus Bennett. TE was a big weakness for Chicago since Olsen was traded. Big upgrade.

[NJ Stinks]

The raven's wanted AB to take a $2M pay cut. He said no, Ozzie said go.

Jacoby Jones willl fit in fine in his place.


Hopefully, AB told the Ravens to go f*#@ themselves on the way out the door.

[Robert Fischer]

Ravens' 2nd round choice is #62 overall.

If he's still on the board, they can draft WR Da'Rick Rogers. He has a similar style to Boldin.

[RaceBookJoe]

Looks like 3 of the 4 starting LB's are gone also.

[Robert Goren]

The raven's wanted AB to take a $2M pay cut. He said no, Ozzie said go.

Jacoby Jones willl fit in fine in his place.Really?

[Stillriledup]

Really?

The Herd was talking about it this morning, i think he said that Balto asked AB to take a pay cut.

[JustRalph]

I thought they could have received a similar pick plus a decent journeyman player? What the hell do I know.........



If Boldin is sporting another SB ring next year at this time, it could be the best thing that ever happen to him.

Playing for the 49 ers makes that much more likely than a whole mess of other places

[Stillriledup]

From One Harbaugh to another!

[sandpit]

The Herd was talking about it this morning, i think he said that Balto asked AB to take a pay cut.

According to a stat that was also reported on the Herd this morning, Flacco's completion percentage last season:

To Boldin: 62
To the rest of his receivers: 48

If that's true, they better either pick up some new passcatchers or improve the ones they have.

[Stillriledup]

According to a stat that was also reported on the Herd this morning, Flacco's completion percentage last season:

To Boldin: 62
To the rest of his receivers: 48

If that's true, they better either pick up some new passcatchers or improve the ones they have.

No doubt.

[cj's dad]

The NFL does not want the reigning SB winner to repeat. Can you all spell parity. The salary cap is in place for a reason. The NFL is a business. Goodbye Anquan, Paul, and Darnell.

And, it is NOT about Flacco. His cap #'s do NOT effect the R's that much.

[proximity]

they still have ngata, who is the real mvp of the team and whose absence (not the lights going out) let the 49ers back in the superbowl. imo, they also have pretty good coaching.

not happy about the broncos getting vasquez and not sure about our linebacker pickups, but with another guard and a safety the colts should be set to contend for the afc!!

[Hosshead]

Please tell me that the Broncos are going to get rid of .. Chump Bailey !!

[Valuist]

According to a stat that was also reported on the Herd this morning, Flacco's completion percentage last season:

To Boldin: 62
To the rest of his receivers: 48

If that's true, they better either pick up some new passcatchers or improve the ones they have.

That's probably true, although Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones are likely to be running deeper routes than Boldin.

Still, Boldin came up huge in the postseason.

[JustRalph]

Welker to Denver..........ouch!

[Striker]

Looks like 3 of the 4 starting LB's are gone also.
Maybe they sign James Harrison

[Striker]

Safety Bernard Pollard is out also and it doesn't look like Ed Reed will be back as he is meeting with other teams. Ravens cleaning house.

[Robert Fischer]

m wallace wr to the "fins".

Apparently gave him $27M guaranteed and he is a 17.2M cap hit in 2014 (2nd highest in NFL).

Wallace seemed like a solid weapon to me, but he didn't seem like he was changing games. I thought Antonio Brown was a more reliable target last season, but I could have a bad opinion.


Burress is going to stay on with the team. I like the way the Steelers handled his comeback in a humble way. He and Ben have some chemistry and both are highly motivated to turn things around next season. I wouldn't be surprised if Burress returns to at least play a role on the receiving corps.

[Valuist]

Welker to Denver..........ouch!

I think Peyton just returned to the top drafted QB in most fantasy leagues. Its been Rodgers in most leagues the past 3 seasons.

[Robert Fischer]

Ed Reed to the Texans.

Texans should have one of the best D's since..... the Ravens.

If Cushing comes back to pre-injury form they will pretty much have an all-star defense.

[cj's dad]

Reed had a sub par 2013 season. He is on the down slide. Not a big loss IMO.

[Valuist]

They sign Rolando McClain, and now he gets arrested (again).

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/baltimore-ravens-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-arrested-in-decatur-042213

No more Lewis, no more Reed; overpay your QB and get a 1st place schedule. The only thing they have going for them is the AFC is so inferior to the NFC, they could get back. But I doubt it.

[cj]

They sign Rolando McClain, and now he gets arrested (again).

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/baltimore-ravens-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-arrested-in-decatur-042213

No more Lewis, no more Reed; overpay your QB and get a 1st place schedule. The only thing they have going for them is the AFC is so inferior to the NFC, they could get back. But I doubt it.

You really think losing old guys like Boldin, Reed, and Lewis (and their big salaries) is going to hurt? If there is one thing the Ravens have proven over the years, it is that they know how to run a football team and particularly play the salary cap game. They have lost countless big name guys to free agency and yet there they are, year in and year out, near the top of the standings.

[Robert Fischer]

McClain could end up being a solid addition to the Ravens, in spite of getting off on the wrong foot. I haven't gone Mel Kiper on him, but my impression from afar is that while his ceiling may not be as high as hoped coming out of college, that he could be a solid dude if focused.

[Robert Fischer]

Ravens need to re-forge their identity on Defense. Regardless of how much they may have declined in performance, Lewis and Reed were the Ravens. Ngata will need to have an impact season.

- side note - The other big nosetackle Kemoeatu (age33, past weight issues, chemistry w/ Ngata) is a free-agent. Whether or not they re sign him will be yet another interesting issue.

Sets up for a hard fought division between the Ravens and Steelers (whats new?).

Cinci adds LB James Harrison to what is already a solid defense.

[Valuist]

You really think losing old guys like Boldin, Reed, and Lewis (and their big salaries) is going to hurt? If there is one thing the Ravens have proven over the years, it is that they know how to run a football team and particularly play the salary cap game. They have lost countless big name guys to free agency and yet there they are, year in and year out, near the top of the standings.

Leadership and clubhouse chemistry. Is it everything? No, but think it does help in the postseason and high pressure games.

The real issues are having a first place schedule, and being defending champs, as you now have a target on your back EVERY week. Sure, the divisional rivals will always target you, but now the non-divisional and non-conference opponents want to knock off the defending champs. And as I mentioned about Flacco, he had a good 2012 season but he is not worth more than Brady, Peyton Manning or Brees. We'll see how he handles the pressure of being the $20 million/year man.

[Robert Goren]

Lewis was the key to the Ravens. You just take a look at last year's games when he played and when didn't . The difference was nothing short of amazing. Without Lewis, the jig is up for the Ravens. Time to rebuild from the ground up because everything on defense revolved around Ray. I think they probably over paid to Flacco, but there aren't very many QBs than he was last year. These days you can't win without a very good QB. When the new talent starts getting good in hopefully 2-3 years, they will have a good QB in place. There several teams(like the Bills) that are just a QB away from the playoffs and as usual there are none available. Newsome doesn't make too many mistakes and I haven't seen him make one this year yet.

[cj's dad]

Leadership and clubhouse chemistry. Is it everything? No, but think it does help in the postseason and high pressure games.

The real issues are having a first place schedule, and being defending champs, as you now have a target on your back EVERY week. Sure, the divisional rivals will always target you, but now the non-divisional and non-conference opponents want to knock off the defending champs. And as I mentioned about Flacco, he had a good 2012 season but he is not worth more than Brady, Peyton Manning or Brees. We'll see how he handles the pressure of being the $20 million/year man.

Apparently he is because the Ravens were willing to pay that amount.

The 4 QB's you mentioned were not participants in this years SB.

[newtothegame]

Apparently he is because the Ravens were willing to pay that amount.

The 4 QB's you mentioned were not participants in this years SB.
dad, I normally agree with you but i seriously hope the standard isnt participants in this years SB.....based on that, Collin Kaepernick should be 20 million a year plus.....:bang:

[cj]

Saying he is overpaid doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The latest guy to sign is almost always going to be the highest paid. Brady, Peyton and Brees are also older. Brady clearly took a paycut to help the team because he has been paid already. Manning was coming off major neck surgery. Brees didn't exactly light it up last year.

[Robert Goren]

Saying he is overpaid doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The latest guy to sign is almost always going to be the highest paid. Brady, Peyton and Brees are also older. Brady clearly took a paycut to help the team because he has been paid already. Manning was coming off major neck surgery. Brees didn't exactly light it up last year. The problem that I and a lot of people have is that he has only been really good for one year. The other have had multiple really good years.

[newtothegame]

Brees numbers versus Flacco.....

Brees comp pct yds TDs INT 20+ 40+ Scks rating
422 63 5177 43 19 66 13 26 93.3%

Flacco
317 59.7 3817 22 10 60 12 35 87.7%



And you're right, that wasn't a great year for Brees........

Now I know you will tell me how Flacco led the Ravens yada yada yada but your team does have a respectable defense.....the saints were almost dead last if not last in almost every category defensively! Not too mention without a head coach....(no interim and the interim to the interim doesn't count) lol.

[Valuist]

Saying he is overpaid doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The latest guy to sign is almost always going to be the highest paid. Brady, Peyton and Brees are also older. Brady clearly took a paycut to help the team because he has been paid already. Manning was coming off major neck surgery. Brees didn't exactly light it up last year.

That would make sense if all those guys were at the same performance level. Clearly, Flacco isn't on the same level as any of those guys. Nor would I take him over Eli or Roethlisberger. He may have had a better 2012 season than those two, but his overall resume isn't as good.

He's overpaid.

[Valuist]

Apparently he is because the Ravens were willing to pay that amount.

The 4 QB's you mentioned were not participants in this years SB.

The QB may be the most important player on the field but it is still a TEAM game, and more than any other sport. You still need a supporting cast, and you still need a defense to win a Super Bowl.

[cj]

That would make sense if all those guys were at the same performance level. Clearly, Flacco isn't on the same level as any of those guys. Nor would I take him over Eli or Roethlisberger. He may have had a better 2012 season than those two, but his overall resume isn't as good.

He's overpaid.

If the Ravens didn't pay him, do you think somebody else would have? I am 100% certain somebody else would have paid that much. Thus, he is paid market value in my opinion.

[JustRalph]

The QB may be the most important player on the field but it is still a TEAM game, and more than any other sport. You still need a supporting cast, and you still need a defense to win a Super Bowl.

But you never see a team with a shitty QB rolling through the playoffs.

[Valuist]

But you never see a team with a shitty QB rolling through the playoffs.

Except for Trent Dilfer.

[newtothegame]

same team no less...(in reference to Dilfer), just shows what an amazing defense can do.

[newtothegame]

If the Ravens didn't pay him, do you think somebody else would have? I am 100% certain somebody else would have paid that much. Thus, he is paid market value in my opinion.
CJ,I have no doubt either that another team would of snapped him up. Don't get me wrong, I like Flacco. I think he is a top ten.
But, I don't think he would of gotten THAT much. Maybe around 15 per....

Point is, I think the Ravens hurt the rest of the league with that number....
I would think, anyone who was NOT a Raven fan had to be like "WTH" when that contract was announced....

I know Arron Rodgers had to be jumping for joy when that was signed!!!

But with cap numbers the way they are, and skyrocketing QB salaries....well its headed out of control in my opinion......

[Rise Over Run]

same team no less...(in reference to Dilfer), just shows what an amazing defense can do.
THAT Baltimore defense was simply amazing, on all levels. The defense for the SB team from last year was average, not just by Baltimore standards but against the other NFL teams last year. Last year was all about Flacco. It was the last year of his rookie contract and both sides rolled the dice to see what transpired during the 2012/13 season. Guess what, both "sides" won, and ultimately both sides got paid.

[JustRalph]

Except for Trent Dilfer.

Touché'


And for that reason we have to put up with him on ESPN fr the rest of our days

[cj's dad]

Flacco's $120 M deal is very cap friendly in the first 2 years. The big $$$s don't kick in until the last 4 which are subject to renegotiation and probably will be.

[Valuist]

Rolando McClain "retires". 3 seasons in the league and 3 arrests. At least he's not Titus Young, who only needed 1 week for 3 arrests.

So much for replacing Ray Lewis.

[cj's dad]

Ray stunk it up last year. Most of his tackles were made 7-10 yards downfield. I love ray, but he will not be difficult to replace at the level he played the last year.

[Valuist]

Ray stunk it up last year. Most of his tackles were made 7-10 yards downfield. I love ray, but he will not be difficult to replace at the level he played the last year.

Fair enough, but the Lewis for the first 15 years of his career will be tough to replace. In any event, you are better off without McClain.

[Robert Fischer]

Rolando McClain "retires".
...

WHAT? :D

Oh man. That is funny, and sad at the same time.

23 years old and has the physical talent to play in the NFL.
I was rooting for him.

I agree, probably best for the Ravens to part ways.

[rastajenk]

Who did the Ravens get with that Bolden pick anyway? I looked at the lists after the draft and I couldn't tell. Or is that sixth-rounder in next year's draft?

[Valuist]

Looks like a great move getting Boldin. Just heard that Crabtree may have tore his Achilles. Boldin and Manningham can pick up the targets Crabtree got.