San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin was recently named a finalist for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. He was named along with Eli Manning and Benjamin Watson, with the winner being announced the night before the Super Bowl. The award honors players for their off-the-field charitable work. Boldin has been doing a ton of work throughout his career to help out those less fortunate, and otherwise in need of assistance.
Boldin spoke with the media on Tuesday (audio), and he got a question about his free agent status. He did not sound like he is in a huge rush to get the situation sorted out. Given how long he's been in the league, I think he has a pretty good handle on how he and his agent will handle contract situations. He had this to say when asked about where he might play in the coming season.
Well for me, I'll cross that bridge when it's that time. And we'll see what happens. I haven't talked to anybody yet. Honestly, I'm not to the point where I feel like I have to deal with that right now. I'll deal with it when the time comes, but right now that's not something that's on my plate.
Boldin has previously said he would like to return to the 49ers, but that was also during the middle of the season. All that really matters is what happens in contract negotiations and the free agency process. It is entirely possible the 49ers decide to move on and get younger at the position. I imagine Boldin will have a deal somewhere fairly quickly in free agency. He is one of the older wide receivers in the league, but he is also still very effective. There will be plenty of competition for his services in March.
How do you think this shakes out?