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Joe Flacco says Anquan Boldin should ‘stick to his guns’ in contract dispute with Ravens

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin faces an uncertain future with the Baltimore Ravens. The team's most productive receiver in the 2012 regular season and postseason is scheduled to earn $6 million in non-guaranteed base salary in 2013 and he could be released before the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens would like to reduce his salary by $2 million, but the 32-year-old thus far has been resistant to a reduction.

Boldin's clutch play-making, particularly in the offseason, helped quarterback Joe Flacco secure a six-year, $120.6 million extension earlier this offseason. Though Flacco could lose one of his most dependable targets, he supports Boldin's reluctance to accept less pay to remain with the Ravens, reports Robert Klemko of the USA Today.

"Without him, we don't win the Super Bowl. He's a huge part of this team and someone I want to see back," Flacco told USA TODAY Sports. "Obviously, when you're a player of his caliber, you believe you're worth a number and that's what you should get. He's going to stick to his guns, and that's the way it should be."

Boldin was sensational in the 2012 playoffs, catching 22 passes for 380 yards with four touchdowns, including two touchdowns in the AFC championship game win over the New England Patriots and another touchdown in the win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

"He was really important down the stretch," Flacco said. "He's a guy who knows what he's doing. He's done it over and over again in this league. We just really started to hit it and really attack."

One reason why Boldin may be sticking to his guns is that the Ravens do not have a great deal of depth at the receiver position. 2011 second-round pick Torrey Smith certainly has the talent to become a No. 1 receiver and could take the next step in 2013. Jacoby Jones is nice veteran depth, but is more of a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver whose primarily value lies in his All-Pro caliber return skills and 2011 fourth-round pick Tandon Doss has just seven receptions in very limited action over the first 20 games of his career.