Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin has what appears to be his second visit of free agency lined up. A couple months after reportedly meeting with Washington, Boldin is set to travel to Detroit to meet with the Lions, according to Adam Schefter.
The Lions lost wide receiver Calvin Johnson to retirement this offseason, and they are looking at options to complement Golden Tate. They signed Andre Roberts Monday morning, but it will take a lot more than that to begin to replace what Megatron brought to the team. Roberts had a poor 2015 performance in Washington, playing in nine games, and catching 11 passes for 135 yards. His best years were with with the Arizona Cardinals. In 2011, Roberts caught 51 passes for 586 yards and two touchdowns. In 2012, he caught 64 passes for 759 yards and five touchdowns. He finished his Arizona time in 2013 with 43 receptions for 471 yards and two touchdowns. He then signed a four-year $16 million contract with Washington, but was a cap casualty last month.
Boldin has been taking his time in free agency, which is not particularly surprising at this point. He can likely pick up a new offense fairly quickly, and this was his first offseason without a team, so he could sit out an entire offseason workout program. An anonymous scouting director thought he was out there because “[h]e’s old and can’t run,” but I think he’ll land somewhere as a capable option. He’s not a No. 1 receiver, but he could be a great complementary option for a contender. He has history with Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, having working with him in Baltimore in 2012, when the latter was offensive coordinator.
The Lions are coming off a 7-9 season, and have plenty of questions. I wouldn’t mind seeing Boldin end up with the Patriots or Panthers, who both could use another receiver. I just want to see him somewhere that can provide him an opportunity to legitimately compete for a Super Bowl.