Boldin Abruptly Retires 2 Weeks After Signing With Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Anquan Boldin abruptly announced his retirement just under two weeks after signing with the Buffalo Bills.
General manager Brandon Beane made it official Sunday night by saying the team respects Boldin's decision to retire.
"We appreciate the time he gave us over the past two weeks," Beane said in a statement released by the Bills. "He is one of the best receivers to play this game and we wish him and his family all the best moving forward."
Boldin's decision came as a complete surprise and especially after he talked about building on his legacy entering his 15th season and serving as a mentor for Buffalo's young group of receivers.
Boldin was non-committal about his future beyond being intent on playing this season.
"At this point in your career, you can't get too far ahead of yourself, so I just take it a year at a time," he had said. "Once I'm committed, I'm all in."
The Bills, however, aren't the same team he joined. Only four days after Boldin signed, Buffalo traded its top receiving threat in Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams for cornerback E.J. Gaines as part of two blockbuster deals Aug. 11. In a separate trade, the Bills acquired receiver Jordan Matthews from Philadelphia for starting cornerback Ronald Darby.
The Bills also acquired second- and third-round draft picks in trades in an indication the team is more intent on building through next year's draft.
Though surprised by the trade, Boldin insisted Watkins' presence had little to do with him signing with the Bills.
"For me, I would've loved to have played alongside of Sammy, but that wasn't the reason I signed here," Boldin had signed. "The reason I signed here is the guys who are still here. I believe in coach Sean (McDermott) and what he's doing and the direction this organization is heading in."
McDermott is a first-time coach who spent the past six seasons as the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator. He was hired in January to replace Rex Ryan, who was fired in the final week of last season.
Boldin was the NFL's 2015 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner and ranks in the top four among active receivers with 1,076 catches, 13,779 yards receiving and 82 touchdowns receiving.
Boldin appeared in just one preseason game for Buffalo, and finished with one catch for 5 yards in a 20-16 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Boldin spent last season with Detroit, where he had 67 catches for 584 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games. The former Florida State star spent his first seven NFL seasons with Arizona, then played three years with Baltimore and three with San Francisco. He helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl in February 2013.
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