San Francisco 49ers: Ranking top 10 trades in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 7: 49ers Wide Receiver Anquan Boldin
Traded by Ravens to 49ers for 2013 sixth-round pick (199th overall)
In 2013, the 49ers were desperately looking to reinvigorate their wide receiver room in support of their No. 1 option, Michael Crabtree. Randy Moss had left and A.J. Jenkins didn’t pan out the previous year.
So it seemed like a steal the Niners were able to lure away a player who hurt them in Super Bowl XLVII the previous February, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who was well established as a tough, physical presence capable of making San Francisco’s receiver corps all the more dynamic.
Truth was, however, the Baltimore Ravens were going to move on from Boldin anyway, either through a trade or as a cap casualty. So in a sense, Baltimore got what it wanted, too: something in return.
For the Niners, however, Boldin would play a critical role in their run back to the NFC Championship game, falling just short to the Seattle Seahawks.
Boldin would record 1,000-plus yard seasons with San Francisco in 2013 and 2014, making him the first 49ers wideout to achieve this feat since Terrell Owens did it in 2003 and 2004.
Not bad for a sixth-round pick.