Rob0729

The general consensus is that no one will spend like crazy and most teams will be very cautious. That means Boldin may opt to play out his current contract in a trade (why I think he will go for much less than a 2nd). He also may opt to take what is considered a good contract for 2010 which should be a relatively Patriots friendly deal.

Personally, I think the Cards want to unload him since with Warner retiring, they are in rebuilding mode. I see Boldin who would be a free agent in 2011 (assuming there is football) willing to play out his current deal assuming he goes to a team that will put him in a good spot to display his talents and increase his value. The Pats fit that bill because late in the season this year, both Welker and Moss were in the top 5 for WRs. My guess this is the most likely scenario how Boldin comes here (if he comes here). The Pats trade for him with a third or a fourth rounder and he plays out his current deal and the Pats either resign or franchise him in 2011 or just let him be a free agent.

PATSYLICIOUS

I don't think it's 50% man. Admittedly I'm too lazy to look it up right now but I can say with fair confidence it's not that high

Deus Irae

If they wanted to, they could give Boldin a one season, $100 million dollar contract. There is essentially no drag on salary. The only issue is the breakdown on a multiple season deal. Even with that, one can have a 50% drop from the 2010 salary to the 2011 salary.

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Jangles

I'm pretty certain that it is

I remember seeing a discussion here about it not long ago on this site

^^ above me is the answer

ctpatsfan77

There's actually no rule explicitly limiting what can be paid; the rule in question states that if a player's salary drops by more than 50% from year one of a contract to year two, the entire difference from the first year's salary is treated as if it were a signing bonus (e.g., if a player is paid $10M in year one, $3M in year two, his first year salary is treated as if it were $3M salary and $7M signing bonus).

The problem is that no one knows for sure what will happen to contracts signed in an uncapped year if/when the cap returns.

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PATSYLICIOUS

So what if he's looking for a long term deal?

Besides, cap or no cap I'm not sure BB/Kraft will want to give Boldin $14M for one year

Deus Irae

Which is why the 50% drop is the practical limit in order to avoid having that money count against a cap under a new CBA.

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ctpatsfan77

You're assuming, of course, that the new CBA will keep that rule intact with no one-time clauses to account for uncapped year contracts. That may or may not be the case, especially given the revenue sharing issues among the owners. [For example, there are specific clauses in the 2006 CBA that pertained only to the 2006 season, and not future ones, so there's certainly precedent for clauses that apply specifically to contracts signed in 2010.]

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Jangles

You never know

Finding Brady some people to throw to is a key point this offseason. We also need a proven WR, not a project from the draft that may or may not work out

PATSYLICIOUS

I agree we need a veteran WR along with a draft pick or 2 to develop