Denver Broncos Should Look at Anquan Boldin in Free Agency
Jan 19, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks in the third quarter of the 2013 NFC Championship football game at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 23-17 to advance to Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
With rumors swirling about whether or not Eric Decker will return to the Denver Broncos, it’s not a bad idea to start looking at alternate options.
One player that would really excite me as a guy to potentially take a team-friendly one or two year deal would be former Cardinals, Ravens, and 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin, a guy who helped take Denver down in 2012 and win a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.
Boldin has been to the Super Bowl twice in his career, once with the Cardinals and another with the Ravens. He’s tough as nails, and he gets under the skin of opposing defensive backs. If there’s one thing I learned from the Super Bowl it’s that there’s nothing with having a little bit of crazy on your team.
The Broncos have a ton of team-first players, which is great. What they don’t have is someone that is willing to talk trash–and back it up.
Boldin is a guy you hate to play against because he can be such a d-bag, but if he’s on your team, you love it because he will smack you in the mouth, catch the ball over the middle, and if there’s a model for sure-handed receivers in this league even at his age it’s Anquan Boldin.
At this point in his career, if he’s still into playing then Boldin probably couldn’t care less about money. He’s not going to come in for the veteran minimum, but if the Broncos make it worth his while, I think they could do well to add this guy and maybe another young receiver or two to develop for the future.
Boldin proved with San Francisco last year that he is still capable of being a #1 caliber target at age 33, catching 85 balls for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns, the best season he’s had since he was catching passes from Kurt Warner in Arizona. He caught 62 passes for first downs last year, his most by far since 2005.
I think he’d be a great fit as the #2 receiver in Denver’s offense and would help ease the blow of losing a younger Eric Decker, who is probably going to want more money than the Broncos can give him.