Did the Arizona Cardinals make a mistake in trading Anquan Boldin? Yes and no

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Kurt Warner thinks so

Arizona Cardinals by and large were cheering for the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl. Some did so because they despise the San Francisco 49ers. Other did so because they wanted to see former Cardinals star Anquan Boldin win a championship.

Boldin was one of the team's icons and also one of the team's few bright spots during some terrible seasons.

During the team's successful seasons, he soured on the team because of his contract and promises that were allegedly made. He and coach Ken Whisenhunt were not on the same page and there is the famous sideline argument Boldin had with offensive coordinator Todd Haley during the playoffs.

Eventually, after the 2009 season, the Cards traded him to the Ravens with a fifth-round pick in exchange for a third and a fourth rounder in the same draft.

Those picks eventually turned into receiver Andre Roberts and linebacker O'Brien Schofield. Boldin got a new contract and now has earned a ring.

Was the trade a mistake? Former Cardinals QB Kurt Warner thinks so, according to what he said on Arizona Sports 620 on Monday.

"In my opinion, no doubt," Warner said about whether the Cards made a mistake. "You can look at Anquan and you can look at his tangibles -- how fast he runs and things like that.

"But there are special players in this game that have intangibles that want the ball when the game is on the line, that bring their competitiveness and bring guys up around them that want the ball in critical moments and say 'throw it to me, I will find a way to make a play,' -- that was always Anquan Boldin."

In many ways it was a mistake. The Cardinals miss his heart and presence.
However, you would be hard pressed to say that the Cards would be much better off with Boldin still playing.
He departed as Kurt Warner retired. Even Larry Fitzgerald has struggled to a degree since that happened. Part of that is the dropoff in talent at receiver, but mostly it has to do with the QB.
How happy would Boldin have been, even with a new contract, getting 50-60 catches? Additionally, at that point, there wasn't any chance that he was going to come back after his contract expired. He would have left and the Cards would not have gotten anything in return, except maybe a compensatory pick.
Instead, they have Roberts, whose numbers are awful similar to Boldin's since going to Baltimore, and a young pass rusher.
Plus, to keep him, it would have tied up a lot of money at receiver with no quarterback to throw to them. Perhaps signing Boldin to the contract he wanted would have hindered the team's ability to extend Larry Fitzgerald's contract.
Which would you prefer? Boldin or Fitz?
Yes, the Cards erred when they botched his contract situation. However, the trade? I don't think that was a mistake, even if we do miss him.
Those are my thoughts. The discussion is for the rest of you.

Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

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