Boldin has been unhappy in Arizona, but he will join the recently acquired Donte Stallworth to bolster the Ravens’ passing game. Boldin is regarded as one of the N.F.L.’s most physical receivers.

He was the offensive rookie of the year in 2003. He had at least 80 receptions for 1,000 yards in four of the past five seasons, but he requested a trade after the 2007 season when his Arizona teammate Larry Fitzgerald received a $40 million contract extension.

The Lions were active, too, with Coach Jim Schwartz arriving at defensive lineman Kyle Vanden Bosch’s home minutes after free agency began and wooing the former Titan.

Schwartz was Vanden Bosch’s defensive coordinator in Tennessee. Vanden Bosch, a 31-year-old pass rusher, has seen his numbers decline in the last two years (12 sacks in 2007, 3 in 2009) but he is a respected veteran who will be critical in establishing Schwartz’s system in Detroit.

The Lions are widely expected to take one of the top two defensive tackles  Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh  with the second overall pick in the draft. The Lions also signed Nate Burleson, who will be the No. 2 receiver behind Calvin Johnson.

In the meantime, the Redskins, with the new general manager Bruce Allen calling the shots, all but sat out the first day of the free-agency frenzy after cutting 10 veterans from their roster in a massive housecleaning Thursday. Within hours of free agency’s opening last year, the Redskins had signed Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall to large contracts. But perhaps chastened by the results of years of uncontrolled spending  four wins in 2009 and the firing of Coach Jim Zorn  the Redskins changed course.

The Jets cannot be too active in free agency because they were one of the final four teams in 2009. So they filled one of their biggest needs with a trade, sending a third-round pick to the Chargers in exchange for cornerback Antonio Cromartie. And, barring any last-minute change, safety Kerry Rhodes will remain with the Jets next season and receive his $2 million roster bonus next week. Rhodes has four years remaining on his contract, but his benching last season, due to issues with defensive assistant coaches, led to speculation that he would be traded or released.