Anquan Boldin traded to 49ers for 6th round pick

The long running saga involving Anquan Boldin and the Baltimore Ravens have ended in a very unlikely way. Boldin has been traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a 6th round pick. It was only less than 2 months ago that Boldin played a big part in the Ravens defeat of the 49ers in the Super Bowl.

The Ravens, who are mega cap strapped, had asked Boldin to take a paycut but he flatly refused. His stance was understandable considering that he was coming off a fantastic playoff run in which he was a major part of the Ravens' run to a title. Eventually Baltimore made it an ultimatum to take a paycut or be cut.

Boldin again said no. So the Ravens were in a situation where they had to let Boldin go by tomorrow afternoon to get under the cap. Rather than just cut him, they started to look for a trade partner, but with the entire league knowing they had no choice but to cut him in 24 hours, they obviously had zero leverage.

In stepped the San Francisco 49ers, owners of a whopping 12 picks in the upcoming draft. They offered up a 6th round and that was evidently enough.

So, for $6 million and a 6th round pick, the 49ers add a guy who upgrades their WR corps and played a big part in preventing them from winning the Super Bowl.

Of course, this deal comes just hours after their division rival Seahawks pulled off a huge deal for Percy Harvin. There's a major arms race going on out West.