New York Giants Should Take a Flyer on Anquan Boldin

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin could be a great bargain signing for the New York Giants before the start of summer.

Veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin needs a new National Football League home. The New York Giants could use help at the WR position. New York signing Boldin seems like a no-brainer.

So why haven’t the Giants signed Boldin as of May 17?

For starters, Boldin is apparently in no hurry to sign with any NFL team. Jamey Eisenburg of CBS Sports wrote in April that Boldin is willing to take his time and sign for the NFL team of his choice, preferable one that has a realistic shot of winning a Super Bowl in February 2017. Boldin, the 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, recently made a trek to Haiti for a mission trip, and there is no indication that Boldin will be putting pen to paper on a contract anytime soon.

Boldin will be 36-years-old in October, but age has been only a number for the former member of the San Francisco 49ers. Boldin reeled in over 80 passes in 2013 and 2014, and he posted 69 catches last season while playing alongside whatever is left of Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert.

Needless to say, Boldin would be making an upgrade in moving from Kaepernick/Gabbert to Eli Manning.

Money isn’t a problem as it pertains to the Giants signing Boldin. The Giants, per Spotrac, have more than enough available salary cap space to pay Boldin in 2016. Besides, it is not as if there is going to be a massive bidding war for a WR who is in the twilight of his career.

The Giants have a noticeable hole on the depth chart at WR. Odell Beckham Jr. has, in his two seasons, emerged as one of the best young offensive players in the NFL. Beckham is also the only real threat Manning and the New York offense have at the position.

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Nobody can and should realistically expect Victor Cruz to be the player of old as Cruz attempts to recover from a serious knee injury that could still prematurely end his career. The Giants may have even found Cruz’s replacement when the club acquired Sterling Shepard in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Boldin would, upon signing for the Giants, immediately become the second-best WR on the New York roster assuming that Cruz will, at the very least, need time to shake off rust accumulated by not being a NFL player for over a year. One would have to assume that Boldin would be enamored with the idea of receiving favorable match-ups due to teams having to focus on trying to stop Beckham from scoring whenever the football is sent his way.

Would Boldin see the Giants as a championship contender? That may not be easy to answer. Per the Eisenburg story, Boldin has already met with the Washington Redskins. The Redskins won the NFC East last season when Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins played the best football to date of his NFL career. Washington may be on the rise, or 2015 may have been a fluke for Cousins and company.

We just don’t know.

The Giants are a team with more questions than answers as of May 2016. Will new head coach Ben McAdoo do what Tom Coughlin couldn’t over the past four years and guide the Giants back to the playoffs? Will Cruz be able to stay healthy and be a significant contributor for the New York offense? How will Jason Pierre-Paul perform in his first full season following the fireworks mishap of last summer? Will the free agency signings made by the Giants turn what was a lousy defense in 2015 into one that can, if necessary, win a playoff game?

It doesn’t help the Giants that several proven playoff teams could be real options for Boldin before training camps open. The New England Patriots immediately come to mind. The Patriots will (once again) be out for blood because of the Deglategate scandal that will not die and that resulted in Tom Brady being suspended, and it is just about a guarantee that New England will play meaningful January football.

No offense, Giants fans, but the Patriots are the more-appealing club of the two.

Boldin probably won’t want to be part of a project at this point of his NFL career. He may be in great shape, but Boldin is also one hit or wrong step away from potentially entering retirement. Boldin has made millions of dollars over the years. He should now want a second Super Bowl ring.

It is on the Giants to pursue Boldin, and the Giants would be wise to pick up the phone and make the necessary calls as soon as possible if the team has even the slightest interest in signing him. There are not a plethora of better options out there this spring. No other available WR matches Boldin’s production over recent NFL seasons, and Boldin also has a reputation of being a great locker room asset.

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Eli Manning is not getting any younger, and the prime of his playing days shrinks with each passing week. The Giants are, thus, in “win now” mode each year that Manning is on the roster. That reality makes Boldin an ideal signing for the 2016 Giants if he would be keen on agreeing to a deal.