The Detroit Lions lost Calvin Johnson to retirement earlier this offseason and responded by signing Marvin Jones away from the Cincinnati Bengals. They made another move Tuesday, reportedly agreeing to sign former Cardinals, Ravens and 49ers wideout Anquan Boldin to a one-year deal.
Former 49ers, Ravens and Cardinals' WR Anquan Boldin plans to sign a 1-year deal with Lions, per sources. Two sides now finalizing deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2016
In his 13-year NFL career, Boldin has 1,009 catches for 13,195 yards and 74 touchdowns. He's coming off a three-year stretch with San Francisco in which he averaged 79 catches for 1,010 yards and five scores despite playing in passing offenses that could charitably be described as "passable." His production, in terms of catches, yards and touchdowns, did dip with each passing season by the bay.
| Year | Rec | Yds | TD |
| 2013 | 85 | 1,179 | 7 |
| 2014 | 83 | 1,062 | 5 |
| 2015 | 69 | 789 | 4 |
The last time a team gave up on him was during the 2013 offseason, when the Ravens sent him to the 49ers in exchange for a sixth-round pick. He responded with that 85-1,179-7 campaign. He may not get a similar amount of opportunities with the Lions due to the presence of Jones and Golden Tate, but even if all he does is move the chains from the slot, his presence alone should be worth it to the Lions, who need to diversify their offense in the absence of Johnson.
