Wideout Anquan Boldin (81) takes on cornerback Darrell Hunter during a training camp practice in Flagstaff in 2007.
Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who skipped all four weeks of the Cardinals' voluntary organized team activities as he seeks a new contract, said Friday he wasn't sure if he would be attending training camp.
"I honestly can't say at this point," Boldin said in a text message.
General manager Rod Graves declined to get into specifics about Boldin attending camp or the state of contract negotiations. But he emphasized Boldin remains important to the franchise.
"We stand by what we have always said, which is that Anquan is a key member of our core group," Graves said. "We believe we are building something special, and we're counting on the core players to achieve those goals."
It would seem unlikely that Boldin would miss camp. Any player who skips camp is subject to a fine of slightly more than $15,000 a day. And while Boldin did miss voluntary workouts, he did attend the mandatory minicamp in early May.
The team has also said publicly it plans to work on a new contract for Boldin. As of now, the Cardinals' top negotiation priority remains linebacker Karlos Dansby, who was franchised for the 2008 season and has until July 15 to reach a long-term contract or wait until after the season.
Boldin is under contract for three more seasons. Despite rumors of teams looking to deal for Boldin, the Cards said earlier this offseason they had no interest in trading the two-time Pro Bowler, and Boldin said at minicamp he didn’t want to be traded.
Besides Boldin, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett also stayed away for all of the voluntary OTAs. His status for training camp is also unclear. Dockett was unable to be reached for comment.
Both players are clients of agent Drew Rosenhaus, who has multiple players in the news this offseason looking for trades or new contracts, including the Giants' Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey, the Bengals' Chad Johnson and the Browns' Kellen Winslow.
Rosenhaus – who has multiple Cardinal clients -- visited the Cardinals' Tempe facility Monday, but the discussion with Graves and coach Ken Whisenhunt was general in nature rather than negotiations.
The Cardinals are currently scheduled to report to training camp July 23, with the team running a conditioning test July 24 and beginning practice July 25.
Contact Darren Urban at askdarren@cardinals.nfl.net. Posted 6/13/08.
