Nothing like starting the new season with a contract dispute
Another year of Arizona Cardinals’ football is upon us, as the team begins two-a-day workouts in Flagstaff starting tomorrow. As in other years, there was some palpable off-season optimism heaped on the Cardinals. After all, the team did go 8-8 last season, a 3 game improvement over 2006. And the Cards don’t play in what is known as the league’s toughest division, either.
But here on Day 1 of camp, there’s drama. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who made his demands for a new contract known by skipping all organized team activities this spring and summer, has spouted off. Already. Boldin, who is heading into his sixth season with the Cardinals, has three years remaining on a $22.75 million contract extension he signed in 2005. The agreement in place is scheduled to pay Boldin $2.5 million this season, $2.75 million in 2009, and $3 million in 2010. The argument from the Boldin camp, which is headed up by super-agent Drew Rosenhaus, is that elite receivers in the NFL are making a lot more than that these days. You don’t have to look any further than the Cardinals’ roster, where receiver Larry Fitzgerald is rolling in dough after receiving a 4-year, $40 million deal after last season. Thirty million of that is guaranteed money.
When Boldin inked the extension in ‘05, did he and Rosenhaus actually think that salaries were going to decrease for elite-level receivers? Of course they were going to rise. So why sign that extension then? Or why sign such a long extension at the time? If Anquan Boldin was coming into the last year of his deal, and Rod Graves and the Cardinals had failed to address his contract situation, then he has a legitimate beef. But he has three years left. Three! What ever happened to playing out a contract?
Boldin told reporters today in Flagstaff that he wants no contract discussion with the Cardinals at this point, and that his unhappiness won’t affect his play. If that is indeed the case, why even say anything at all? If Boldin kept quiet, played for his already negotiated salary and produced at the same level he has during the first 5 years of his career, this would truly be a non-issue. The Cardinals would almost have to rip up the deal and reward Boldin for his efforts. Now, apparently there’s bad blood–never a good way for a team to start a season. Not to mention the fans have caught wind of this, and many sports fans in general are sick and tired of the public whining perpetrated by athletes making one hundred times their yearly salary.
The facts are simple. Anquan Boldin is a phenomenal football player. He’s arguably the best receiver in football after the catch, and possesses a fierce unwillingness to be tackled by one player. Another fact is that in games that Anquan Boldin has played in during his NFL career, the Cardinals are 24-44. That’s a winning percentage of .353. That’s not good. Am I heaping all of the blame for that record on Boldin? Absoutely not. In fact, I believe the Cardinals record would have been worse without him. The Cardinals have proved they can lose with him, so logic tells you they can lose without him as well.
I know football, unlike any other sport, offers virtually no guarantees. If Boldin would have signed his extension in 2005, and then proceeded to drop every pass thrown to him in 2006, the Cardinals could have cut him, no questions asked, and no guarantee (outside of signing bonus money). I get that. But its not like Boldin is being paid $9.50 an hour to risk life and limb by going over the middle on Sundays. He’s still being paid handsomely. And let’s not forget, Boldin told the Cardinals last season he wanted to wait until Fitzgerald’s deal was done before the discussed a new pact for himself. Oops!
For many the best case scenario is, the Cardinals recognize Boldin’s value and cough up a hefty raise. But is that really the best case? Can the Cardinals, a mediocre team at best, sink that much money into one position on the field, when there are so many needs elsewhere, and a hard salary cap in place? It might be time to sit by the phone and see what the other 31 NFL franchises are willing to offer for Q’s services. It could be another long season, or three, if they don’t.
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Posted by Vince Marotta
Vince has been part of the Phoenix Sports scene in a few different capacities. First as a fan, Vince has been yelling at his tv during Suns and ASU games since the late 1970's. Vince also saw the media side of things as a radio talk show host from 1996 to 2002, and then again in 2007.
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