Cards Haven’t Given Boldin Permission To Talk Contract With A New Team

One big fact that continues to be overlooked regarding the rumors of a possible trade of Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin to a new team is that, in addition to working out a deal with the Cardinals, Boldin’s new team needs to work out a new contract with the receiver who wants out of Arizona not because he doesn’t like Phoenix, but because he doesn’t like the size of his paychecks. Per a league source, Boldin and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have not received permission to talk to a new team about a contract. So, as a practical matter, any team that trades for Boldin this weekend is going to have to make some tough financial decisions in a compressed time frame, assuming that the draft picks sent to Arizona come from the 2009 edition of the selection process. Boldin is believed to be angling for a deal that pays him $9 million to $10 million per year. Just as drafting Matthew Stafford without signing him to a contract would have given the player and his agent all the leverage over the Lions, trading for Boldin without a new deal will give Boldin and Rosenhaus the upper hand. Boldin’s new team needs to get the player to agree to a new deal at a time when the alternative is not getting out of Arizona. Once Boldin is shipped to a new city, he’ll be in a position to ask for more. Somewhere, DeMaurice Smith is nodding and smiling.