Report: Anquan Boldin Would Come Out of Retirement to Play for Patriots
Recently retired receiver Anquan Boldin would consider a comeback with the Patriots, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports.
Boldin, a 14-year veteran, retired last month after just two weeks with the Bills. He explained at the time that he was walking away from football to focus on community organizing. The recent racial violence in Charlottesville, Va., was partially responsible for his decision.
Boldin made it clear that his retirement was final and he was not interested in coming back to chase a ring.
“Do I feel like I can still play? Of course,” Boldin said in a radio interview. “My passion for the advocacy work that I do outweighs football at this point, so I’m not coming back to play for a contender or to do anything else. I’m done with the game of football.”
But Volin reports that Boldin is interested in resuming his career in New England. Boldin and the Patriots “had mutual interest in bringing Boldin to New England this offseason, and he remains intrigued by the possibility,” Volin writes. That interest may be one-sided now that the Patriots have traded for Phillip Dorsett to replace the injured Julian Edelman, though. Even if there was a real possibility the Patriots would add Boldin, the Bills still retain his rights and would need to trade or release him, an unlikely move considering Buffalo would be helping its primary rival.
