By PFW staff
July 25, 2008

Cardinals star WR Anquan Boldin heated up the team’s training camp Thursday when he angrily told reporters that he had instructed his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to break off contract negotiations with Cardinals GM Rod Graves. “I don’t want a deal,” said Boldin, who has three years left on a contract extension he signed before the 2005 season that pays him roughly $4 million annually. “People may think I’m being funny or saying that just to say it. But for me, I’m just tired of it. Washed my hands of the whole situation. My agent has direct orders not to negotiate. So that’s how I feel about it.”

The Cardinals claim that they made Rosenhaus an offer for Boldin last December, but that he never responded. In late March, they signed fellow WR Larry Fitzgerald to a four-year, $40 million contract extension — a deal that has no doubt increased Boldin’s frustration over the team’s inability to make good on the promise he claims it made that he would also be taken care of before the start of the season.       

The PFW spin

While Boldin couldn’t be a more unhappy camper at the moment, there’s legitimate reason to believe that, despite the supposed orders he has given to Rosenhaus to cut off contract talks, a new deal in the desert could still become a reality. Just hours before Boldin’s outburst, Rosenhaus told one local reporter that he had been busy beating the bushes on his client’s behalf, meeting with Graves in Phoenix Wednesday evening and Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt in Flagstaff on Thursday.

Clearly, the Cardinals have no intentions of cutting the cord with Boldin, whom they continue to value as a team leader and star performer on the field. Should Boldin suddenly decide to bolt from camp, however, which could cost him $15,000 for every day he would miss, the situation could become a big-time distraction with long-term negative ramifications.

But it doesn’t seem very likely that will happen, even though Rosenhaus has been known to use that tack before. Rosenhaus, who has ruffled the feathers of more than a few NFL organizations, enjoys a relatively positive relationship with the Cardinals and Graves. The fact that he also represents five other key Cardinals players — RB Edgerrin James, FS Antrel Rolle and the entire starting defensive line of Darnell Dockett, Gabe Watson and Antonio Smith — leads team insiders to believe that a resolution could still be forthcoming down the road. It’s worth noting, though, that a new deal for Boldin could open up an even bigger can of worms, with Dockett, Smith and star SS Adrian Wilson also very anxious to receive new deals.      

Our fantasy take

Despite his current unhappiness, Boldin should still be considered a legitimate fantasy force this coming season, provided he can stay healthy. Always the consummate professional, it's unlikely he will let his tenuous contract situation negatively affect his play on the field.