Jim Harbaugh can be forgiven if he thought his brother was pulling his chain with a phone call offering to trade Anquan Boldin two months after the wide receiver played a key role in the San Francisco 49ers' defeat in Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens.
"Oh, I'm sure he probably *was* suspicious," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, according to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
John explained to his brother that the salary numbers simply didn't work for Baltimore or Boldin, leaving the sides no chance of reaching a last-minute compromise before the onset of free agency.
Once Jim realized the Ravens were serious about a trade, he quickly moved to strike a deal for the veteran receiver.
"I called him up and said, 'Would you be interested?' He said, 'Heck yeah. I'll go talk to Trent,' " said John Harbaugh, referring to 49ers general manager Trent Baalke.
"I think they feel like they got a great deal," John said. "I know they got a great player. They got a great leader. They got a guy who'll be a perfect fit in their in their offense in a lot of ways. They'll realize that right away."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling
