Boldin says he’ll retire if he’s cut by Ravens

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Friday’s truncated it-never-snows-much-in-New-Jersey-in-February-so-why-are-we-worried-about-playing-a-Super-Bowl-there? edition of Pro Football Talk includes an interview with Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin.

And Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin says he’ll always be Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin.

“For me that’s not something that I worry about,” Boldin told Erik Kuselias of Pro Football Talk.  “I think you go out and let your play speak for itself.  You deal with that if you have to, but, I think for m — I know for me — Baltimore is the only place I want to play.  It’s the last place that I will play.  For me, I’ll retire a Raven, I’m not putting on any other uniform.”

Boldin then reiterated the point.

“I won’t play in another uniform,” Boldin said.  “We have a saying, once a Raven, always a Raven, and I’ll always be a Raven.”

We respect the loyalty he’s demonstrating to the team.  We’ll now see whether the team is willing to demonstrate its loyalty to him, especially with a $6 million base salary due for the 2013 season.

And you can see the full interview at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.  It can be found at channel 220 on DirecTV.

81 responses to “Boldin says he’ll retire if he’s cut by Ravens

  1. I see what you’re saying here, but he never came out and said “I’ll retire”. Tough call

  2. and by the way, he’s not getting cut. His contract is complete. There is a difference.

  3. The Ravens would be stupid to let him go. $6 million is hardly a price to pay for a receiver as valuable as him.

  4. Of course he would say that. He is on a Super Bowl winning team and has a shot at doing it again. It makes the ravens look bad if they get rid of him because he will say, “I wanted to come back, but they cut me,”

  5. He’s been smart with his money, he’s got two young children, he’s put his body through a lifetime of punishment over a 10 year career and he got his ring.

    Anyone who thinks he won’t retire is nuts. He means what he says, it’s either Baltimore or retirement.

    He devotes tons of time to his charitable foundation, he’s got a whole other life outside of football waiting for him.

  6. This ManBeast is what playing like a Raven is all about – he is tough as nails, and Money in the bank as a receiver! Bottom Line: let him retire a Raven when his time arrives!

  7. I’m praying that if he gets cut by Baltimore, he changes his mind and comes to Minnesota. Doesn’t sound likely, though.

  8. Who cares where this egotistical jagoff plays? Just let him stay in crime ridden Baltimore where he wants to be. Baltimore is dirty, ghetto, and boring.

  9. This guy is one of the main reasons they made it so far in the playoffs. You can’t count the amount of big plays he made for them through the stretch. Pay em and play em

  10. Actually, it’s Once a RAIDER, always s RAIDER***

    *** exceptions are Purple Drank Russell & Slowlando McLame

  11. We have a saying- once a Raven, always an apologist for an HGH-using double murderer.

  12. He was a Cardinal, then a Raven. If they cut him he will only sign with the eagles, falcons or Seahawks.

  13. I’d like to see an experiment. Let’s just say the worst team in the league – let’s call it the Jaguars. Let’s say they go to Boldin and say “buddy, we’re offering you a 4 year, $35mil deal – $18mil guaranteed. Pretty sure he’d be a ‘Jaguar’ for life then……

  14. He says that now but the Super Bowl win is still fresh. If he wants to stay in Baltimore he’ll have to take a pay cut. Saying that he’ll play for the Ravens or for nobody else is a pretty strong statement coming from a guy who was a shining star in the playoffs in all four games. No way he looked finish to me. He needs to come back and go for the repeat. Flacco will be really lonely with Torrey Smith drawing double teams, and an unproven.

  15. Once a Raven, always a Raven, huh? We’ll remember those words in a month when Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe sign with other teams because Newsome can’t afford them.

  16. Ravens fans are funny. You actually think the Ravens are going back to the super bowl next year? lmao. Ravens had a lot of luck go their way to make it to the super bowl, mainly the Denver game. Denver played awful and Rahim Moore gave the game to the Ravens. Enjoy the super bowl win but I guarantee the Ravens will not bein the super bowl next year.

  17. Dont worry Anquan, they won’t cut the real MVP of the playoffs. If they do, the Bears will be holding on line 1.

  18. all this talk of retiring is bull .. how else is he going to make multi-millions per year other than playing pro football?

    what’s he going to do? get a job in a cube making lowest 6-figures at best??? or continue playing pro ball making 7 figures?

    common man

  19. If any of these Raven fans truly think they will repeat they have lost there minds. They made it to the last to AFC Championships because they did not have to play us.. Enjoy your rings and we will see you in another 13 years….Steeler Nation all day!

  20. Boldin is a beast. Oz will get it done and you haters will just keep hating. Ravens – World Champs. Cheers!

  21. Oh Well. If “Luniz7” says so.. Please. Spare us all your “guarantee’s”. Nobody cares.

    BTW, We are enjoying the SuperBowl win.

    “Wasn’t he a cardinal as well?”

    Sure. Then he BECAME a raven and does not want to play for anybody else. Love it.

  22. OMG….Once a Raven, always a Raven. Ray Ray brain washed this guy. Will see if he is doing the squirrel dance once they ask him to take a paucity of a couple mil.

  23. luniz7, I’m not even a Ravens fan, but I have tons of respect for them. Nobody thought they would do it this year near the end of the regular season and look what happened. Greatness is the ability to turn luck into opportunity and that is exactly what the 2012 Ravens did. Stop hating. As for the Denver game, if Trindon Holliday didn’t go off, that was a blowout win on the road for Baltimore. Broncos special teams is the only reason it was a game.

  24. “Made it to the last AFC Championships because they did not have to play us..”

    Tim Tebow beat you. This year you missed the playoffs completely. You and your team were an utter and complete fail and getting worse and older.

    Tebow losing-Wheelchair Nation all Day!

  25. Oh no you will not retire. You will go on to sign a very cap friendly deal with the Raiders, go on to win the next 3 Superbowls, and punch your HOF ticket and wait patiently for 5 years while telling stories of how you, Carson Palmer, and Janikowski made everyone forget about Troy Brown, Tom Brady, and Adam Vinatieri.

  26. It’s great when players embrace the city where they play. Boldin has done that, and the city has embraced him in return. Maybe it’s impossible, but I hope there’s a way to keep #81 in a Ravens uniform for a few more years, until he decides to retire on his own. He showed no signs of declining this year. I know it’s a business and management can’t afford to be sentimental to remain on top, but if there’s a way, I hope they find it.

  27. He’ll be 33 in October and is in great shape. Surprised he’d think about retiring. On the other hand, it sounds as though he’s willing to sign a very cap-friendly deal to stay where he is. Good news for the Ravens.

  28. I don’t think it’s because of the superbowl. Anquan Boldin is essentially the stable of what it means to be a Raven. A tough player. I’m an Eagles fan but that’s what I see when I see the Ravens and nobody could fit that motto more than Boldin. He was cool in Arizona but he fits as a Raven, I can’t see him on any other team, and has been a good since he was traded there.

    Some leave but most it seems want to stay on the team and I can’t blame them. A very dedicated fanbase in Baltimore. Watching their parade I can see why people like Ray Lewis would love the spotlight.

  29. Great player but that statement was a dumb move. Ravens will take full advantage of that statement and reduce his salary to 3 million

  30. I GUARANTEE the Ravens will be in the Superbowl next year…the Broncos and Patriots wont be as LUCKY next year to even get in the playoffs.

  31. He will be a jet for the veteran minimum….”everyone wants to play for Rex Ryan” right?

  32. Everyone says he will have to take a pay cut. That’s not exactly true. He is going to be offered 3 mil a year for the next 3 years. (or close to that)

    That’s not a pay cut, it’s just getting more cap friendly.

    The Ravens probably won’t repeat next year, but that’s because of how difficult it is to repeat in the NFL. That’s it.

  33. Ok carry on and stay a Raven. Hope they can afford to pay him when Mr MVP takes every penny he can get.

  34. He’s worth his contract in points scored. If he leaves you’ll see Flacco’s numbers plummet back to below-average where he was, BUT we’ll be paying him like a top three guy. That leaves no money to buy or prevent the points lost with Boldin’s departure. Buying a couple of cheaper stiffs to fill out a roster doesn’t replace point production made and lost with a star like Boldin. Flacco OTOH was in the low 20’s amongst QBs in individual point production – some 100 points behind Peyton Manning.

  35. Boldin is worth every penny of that 6 Million. Without him, the Ravens wouldn’t have gone as far as winning the Superbowl, that’s for sure. I can think of several times this past season where he has come through for his team. He is going nowhere.

  36. Boldin was a complete BEAST for the Ravens during the stretch run. If he was not on the team they likely dont win more than a single playoff game.

    Ravens would be crazy not to pay him for next year.

    Post Season Production is what really matters. It is what should define a player on a good team. All those yards and TDs players rack up in the regular season while going to sleep in the post season doesnt mean anything. But what one does in the post season does.

    Im not a Ravens fan in the least, but this decision is too obvious.

  37. Hey, Anquan – why not come down to Washington if things don’t work out for you in Baltimore? You’ll get paid. And you can still play for a team in Maryland whose name starts with an “R” and ends with an “S”.

  38. I have always liked Boldin and he is still a very effective player……I would be thrilled if he was a wide out on the team I sit in the stands and watch on Sundays

  39. I am sure he can parlay that college degree from Florida State into a high paying job. He does have a degree, right?

  40. And as a Cards fan, we say F U very much too Boldin.

    He’s an awesome WR. Tough as nails. Part of arguably the best WR duo in the NFL (Fitz/Q)

    But for all that, I’ll also remember him as pouting, yelling at the coach, and leaving the stadium after we won the NFC Championship because he didn’t get the ball enough.

  41. If it came to that, Mr. Bolden, I’d hope you’d consider coming down and finishing your career with a team in the state you played your college football in, the Miami Dolphins. They just might be in the marget for a free agent wideout or two.

  42. Boldin has been the most reliable pass catcher for the Ravens since he got their in 2010. They will make it work to keep him there a few more years.

  43. How come you don’t see flacco throw up those wounded duck bombs against the Steelers? And boldin, smith, Jones making any plays against our secondary? Answer.. because the Steelers secondary was #1 against the pass and has corners and safeties that will shut that right down! Although 49ers have a good defense, their secondary isn’t very good! They just don’t matchup with Baltimore. Boldin has subpar speed, but he fights for the ball. He is good, and I’m very happy that the Ratbirds won.. enjoy salary cap hell like the steelers are! There’s always a price for winning a super bowl. Now you can feel the crunch too! Yaaa cheers!

  44. I know that the term “fan” is short for fanatic, but I wish some of you people had command “football” sense. For all the “greatness” of P.Manning, he blows his lunch in the playoffs. Flacco, who people cant seem to like, has the same amount of playoff wins as Manning, but in 7 fewer yrs. For everything Flacco is not during the regular season, he is money in the playoffs. And he has been there every year of his pro career. Now, am I in no way saying Flacco is Manning, or better than Manning, what I am saying is that over the past 3 seasons, when its playoff time, he plays big, and I’d rather have that then what Romo, P.Manning, or Matty Ice does, or should I say don’t do come playoff time,WIN!!! Now as far as Boldin goes, $6 mil is a lot for a 33yr old WR. Hopefully they can restructure and get him in for 3 more yrs, at a cap friendly number.

  45. End of the season woe is me tune from Boldin. I have always respected the cat; one of the toughest receivers to ever lace em up. But I’m callin BS here. When he misses a few paychecks and a couple of payments on his house and his Benz the story will change dramatically. Fortunately there are about 20 teams that he can become a starter for. There won’t be a lack of suitors. Nice sentiment and all but… come on man.

  46. ravensfan996 | Feb 9, 2013, 10:11 AM EST
    @bobonmycob-come to my city and say that.

    Let me guess you’ll shake his hand then….the Baltimore way is to kill those who disagree with them…Just ask their icon…he prefers the knife method…smh

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