General manager Rod Graves (left) and coach Ken Whisenhunt meet with the media Tuesday during their annual pre-draft press conference.
Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves came down to take part in their annual pre-draft press conference Tuesday, but not surprisingly, the questions veered toward the status of wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
The main answer came courtesy of Graves, when the general manager said the Cards – after telling the world last week they would listen to trade offers for Boldin – had yet to receive an offer.
"Quite a few teams have called, but we have no offers from those teams," Graves said, adding that "anything can evolve" in trade talks from now through the draft.
Whisenhunt also said he'd expect the talk to pick up as the draft nears.
"We are evaluating our options like we said," Whisenhunt said. "Like we said last week, Anquan is an important part of this team and ultimately our goal is to make sure he is with us. But as part of this process, evaluating what other people think or what other people want to say about him is what we are listening to."
The Baltimore Ravens are the one team that has been rumored to want Boldin, but stories out of Baltimore this week say the Ravens believe the price is too high for Boldin – although Graves emphasized the Cardinals have not specified to teams what price they would want for Boldin.
That directly contradicts a recent ESPN report saying the Cards were seeking a first- and a third-round draft pick.
Graves did add that if the Cards were to trade Boldin, "it would certainly have to be for commensurate value."
Graves also said just because the Cards haven't gotten a concrete offer, "I don't know if that is any indication how the rest of the league views Anquan."
Neither man would say that Boldin that was more likely to be on the team if a trade doesn't happen before the end of the draft. Boldin is part of the team, Whisenhunt said, and always has been.
Whisenhunt was also adamant on one point: "We're not proactively trying to trade Anquan."
"Our objective all along was to weigh the interest in Anquan and weigh that against the option of extending (his contract)," Graves said. "The ultimate goal is to do what's in the best interest of the team."
Graves said the contractual priorities of the Cardinals remain extending top defenders Karlos Dansby and Adrian Wilson, with whom Graves said contract talks are ongoing. The Cards reportedly have less than $2 million of salary cap room right now.
"Those contracts will dictate whether we can address (a Boldin contract) and when," Graves said.
Whisenhunt said he didn't expect any problems with Boldin even if the disgruntled wide receiver remains a Cardinal.
The other pressing player situation of note, the status of running back Edgerrin James, remains unchanged.
"We have to go through the draft and see if we are in a position to make a decision," Graves said of James's potential release.
Contact Darren Urban at askdarren@cardinals.nfl.net. Posted 4/21/09.
