Anquan Boldin Returns To Team That Got Him A Super Bowl Ring

Anquan Boldin returned to the Baltimore Ravens this past week, albeit for a joint practice with his current team the San Fransisco 49ers. And for Boldin, the visit gave him much more than just feelings of nostalgia. It also brought him a sense of closure.

According to ESPN, Boldin never got a chance to formally say goodbye to the Ravens after their Super Bowl victory two years prior. The team, facing massive salary cap implications, could not afford to re-sign their prized wide receiver, instead trading Boldin to the 49ers for a sixth round pick.

But Anquan’s lack of closure went deeper than being traded. As ESPN reported, “Anquan Boldin didn’t get a chance to properly say goodbye to the Baltimore Ravens because he was on an African relief mission when he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers 20 months ago. He wasn’t able to return to the Ravens’ facility, and he had his Super Bowl ring shipped to him after not being able to attend the ring ceremony.”

The literal lack of goodbyes affected Bolden deeply. According to the Baltimore Sun, Anquan was excited to be back on premises to see so many familiar faces.

“I got a chance to see a lot of people I haven’t seen since the trade,” Boldin said before the first of three joint practices between the Ravens and 49ers. “Like I said, I was in Africa at the time [of the trade to San Francisco], so I couldn’t come back here to the facility, to Baltimore. That was the first time I had seen [them] in quite some time. It was good to see those people. I built a lot of relationships in three years here.”

Boldin and his family even got to spend some quality time in the Baltimore area attending a barbecue and catching up with old friends. “It’s been cool to come back and have this happen,” Boldin said.

Looking back at his playing career with the Ravens, Anquan was thankful for having been a part. However, he has also made peace with the fact that those days are over. “It’s done and over with now,” Boldin said. “I had a year under my belt in San Francisco. I’m looking forward to winning a championship in the Bay Area.”

The 49ers are one of several contenders looking to unseat division rival Seattle. The Seahawks, as reported by The Inquisitr, are trying to repeat despite several off-season losses to free agency as well as their star running back Marshawn Lynch holding out earlier in training camp.

The NFL regular season opens September 4.