The wide receiver market has quieted down a week into free agency, and recent San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin has kept under the radar for the most part. His agent, Tom Condon, told Matt Barrows that he expects more action for Boldin soon.
The New England Patriots reportedly were in touch, but nothing has developed from that. The team ended up signing restricted free agent Chris Hogan to an offer sheet, and the Buffalo Bills were unable to match it due to first year cap implications. Teams often match RFA offer sheets, but the Patriots structured the 3-year, $12 million deal in such a way as to bump the first year cap hit above what the Bills could fit. My guess is this signing removes them from the Anquan Boldin sweepstakes.
Boldin has said he would love to return to the 49ers, but given the crowd at the event in question, I can't imagine him saying anything else. Boldin would probably like to find a home sooner rather than later, but I have to think he is confident he can find a spot somewhere. The wide receiver market is fairly bare at this point. Aside from Boldin, here are some of the receivers still on the market as unrestricted free agents:
James Jones
Rueben Randle
Nate Washington
Percy Harvin
There's talent there, but it is not exactly overflowing. If Boldin is going to depart, ideally he signs somewhere before June 1. If he signs after June 1, the 49ers would not get a comp pick for him. At best the 49ers would only get a sixth for him given his age, but it would certainly be better than no comp pick at all, especially with comp picks being tradeable next season.