49ers Guard Alex Boone has been a boon to head coach Jim Harbaugh for the last three years. Now he wants a raise, which the 49ers do not seem inclined to give him.
49ers Right Guard Alex Boone has been holding out for a new contract, but the 49ers seem less inclined to give him one and more apt to simply trading him. With rumors on CSN floating around that several teams might be interested, it seems like now would be as good a time as any to look at a few teams that could be potential suitors:
NY Jets – The three contenders for the two starting Guard jobs are Willie Colon, Brian Winters and Oday Aboushi. Colon has been injury prone but plays generally well if he’s healthy. Aboushi has never played an NFL game but has been getting rave reviews in practice. Winters was a huge liability on the offensive line and frequently displayed poor form. If there is any team that could benefit from an experienced RG such as Boone, it would be the Jets.
Cardinals – With former 1st-round draft pick Jonathan Cooper struggling after missing his rookie year due to a leg injury, the Cardinals could use a boost on the offensive line – especially with Carson Palmer getting older and more injury prone. The only downside would be having to make trades in their own division – something the 49ers and Cardinals may be unwilling to do as they both vie for a chance to dethrone the Seattle Seahawks.
Jaguars – Long-time Center Brad Meester’s retirement left big shoes to fill on the inside for the Jaguars. As of now the team may be inclined to start rookie Brandon Linder at the Right Guard position, which would make it very beneficial for the team to bring in a veteran to bookend the guard position with former Broncos Pro Bowler Zane Beadles
Ravens – After inexplicably dropping to 30th in the league in rushing the Ravens could probably use an injection of run blocking talent like Boone has to help Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce pick up their yards/carry average – both of which were below 4.0 in 2013. Considering that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is the brother of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, they could very well have had discussions about it at family dinner.
Colts – Several days ago the Colts would not have been on this list, but after a preseason game against the Jets in which three offensive lineman could not finish the game due to injuries, the Colts could use a healthy, veteran presence to quickly bring things under control. And with a very weak running game at the moment, Boone could provide just the boost the team needs to give Trent Richardson the holes he needs.
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