Cards notebook: Unhappy Boldin a no-show
By Darren Urban, Tribune
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, unhappy with his contract, did not show up at the team’s voluntary workouts Monday. That was expected. And it’s possible he will skip the team’s mandatory minicamp beginning Friday.
"I think there’s nothing I can say about it, to be honest with you," coach Dennis Green said. "We said a long time ago we were interested in extending Anquan’s contract. We said the same thing last season and we say the same thing now."
The only other player missing Monday was tackle L.J. Shelton, whom the Cardinals are trying to trade. Shelton did show up later in the day to speak to Green, although Shelton declined to comment on his situation.
Receiver Bryant Johnson told the team he wouldn’t make it because he was back at Penn State finishing up schoolwork to get his degree.
Boldin told the Tribune last week that "when everything is said and done, my plan is to be in camp." But he was clearly wavering, and it had been anticipated he would skip offseason work because of a lack of progress toward a contract resolution.
Boldin’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said last week he wasn’t commenting on the situation.
Rosenhaus has been pushing for a new contract as opposed to a straight extension. Boldin’s current contract had a signing bonus of $1.2 million and pays him salaries of $380,000 and $460,000 the next two seasons.
Green wouldn’t speculate on whether he thought Boldin would come to minicamp, other than to say "everyone gets an invitation to be here and we hope everyone who gets an invitation to be here will be here."
Not surprisingly, Boldin’s absence didn’t bother his teammates. "Everyone understands the business part of it," quarterback Kurt Warner said. Fellow receiver Larry Fitzgerald added Boldin didn’t have to prove himself anymore.
"Everyone in this locker room knows what he is capable of," Fitzgerald said. "He’s a Pro Bowl-caliber player. He’s going to be here when it counts, hopefully. I hope he gets what he wants, because this is a cutthroat business and you’ve got to try to get it when you can."
CLEMENT GONE
Veteran tackle Anthony Clement finally was released Monday, no surprise given his slide down the depth chart last season. Cutting Clement, whom the Cards tried to trade over draft weekend, will save the Cards $2.4 million in salary. But because they chose to cut him before June 1, the remaining $1.2 million of his prorated signing bonus counts against the team’s 2005 salary cap.
It’s also looking like Shelton will eventually be cut if the team can’t find a trade partner, although it almost certainly won’t happen before June 1.
EXTRA POINTS
The Cardinals signed three NFL free agents Monday: tackles Ian Allen (with the Eagles in 2004) and Adam Haayer (Vikings), and cornerback Raymond Walls (Ravens). The team also brought back kicker Matt Fordyce, whom the team cut in training camp last season. . . .
Running back Troy Hambrick, who could never get his favorite jersey No. 22 in the NFL because he was always playing behind Emmitt Smith in both Dallas and Arizona, has reclaimed it.
"I knew I didn’t like 47," Hambrick said about his old number. "It was too close to 50. I was already close to the 250 (pound) range, so I wanted to get down and feel slim a little bit. I am catching hell from the guys about it, but who better than Emmitt to represent yourself behind." . . .
Tackle Leonard Davis (knee) and running back Marcel Shipp (ankle) sat out Monday. Neither has been cleared by doctors to practice after their respective surgeries.
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