The deal for Flacco was the type of deal that I said the Ravens shouldn't make. The market for that type of contract may have been there for Flacco, but it was better suited for a reckless team to make such an offer and the Ravens to reap the benefits of potential draft picks from those teams. Instead, the Ravens (already mired in cap issues) dug themselves into a deeper hole.
That hole got much more confusing when the Ravens shipped off Boldin. First, if the market for Flacco was so high, how could the market for Boldin possibly be so low as a 6th round draft pick? Sure, we are dealing with two different positions here and the impact of a quarterback trumps that of a wide receiver. But, I would argue that without Boldin, Joe Flacco doesn't have the type of postseason that propelled him to having the biggest contract in NFL history. Here are the duo's postseason stats:
Joe Flacco - 57.9% completion, 1,140 yds, 11 TD, 0 INT
Anquan Boldin - 22 catches, 380 yds, 4 TD
Flacco was questioned throughout the year as being an elite quarterback. He technically proved his critics wrong with a superior postseason. Boldin had four touchdowns for the whole season then stepped it up on the way to a Super Bowl title.
The biggest question is this: would the Ravens be better off with an unknown quarterback, their receiving corps intact, two first round draft picks from the team that signed Flacco, and more to work with when it comes to their cap space issues or Flacco and cap issues? We'll never truly know the answer other than to see how Joe Flacco and the 2013-14 Ravens play.
Boldin owns his now teammate.
What further surprises me is that there were not any other takers offering something better than a 6th round pick? As a Browns fan, I would have gladly offered a 4th round pick for Boldin's services or even put conditional implications on a lower round pick. It makes sense that the Ravens wouldn't trade Boldin to a division rival, but no other team (not even the Dolphins who spent lavishly on Mike Wallace) would be interested in a veteran receiver fresh off being a leader on the Super Bowl winner? Just as bizarre as it would be for the Ravens to send Boldin to the Browns, it's odd that they send him to their Super Bowl opponents in the 49ers.
Fans should respect the Ravens front office. Their track record and history are evident. General manager Ozzie Newsome also acknowledged that they were not going to repeat the type of experience that they had with the salary cap following their last Super Bowl win. Nevertheless, it's a curious choice and with both them and the Steelers making cost-cutting moves, the AFC North got a lot more interesting.
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