The Ravens announced on Tuesday evening that they’ve hired former Browns’ general manager George Kokinis as their Senior Personnel Assistant. Kokinis was once the Ravens’ director of pro personnel from 2003 to 2008 before he was hired as Cleveland’s GM.

From the Baltimore Sun:

“It’s good to have George back,� general Manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. “He will help evaluate college and pro players, plus work with Pat [Moriarty], the Ravens’ vice president of football administration].

“George knows the game, understands what it takes to win, and he will help us find players who will help us win. He has done that before for us.�

There were rumors that Kokinis was escorted from the Browns’ team facility by security after he was fired last November. The team later denied the report, but then released a statement saying that Kokinis was “no longer actively involved with the organization.� Rumors also circulated that current Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini had some involvement with Kokinis’ firing, which is noteworthy considering the two are/were close friends.

Regardless, Kokinis has experience as a scout in the Ravens’ organization. He served as the team’s northeast area scout from 1996 to 1999, so one would think that he would return to a similar role. Under Newsome, Baltimore has had one of the best scouting departments in the NFL and adding Kokinis should only make them stronger.

Throw the Ravens into the mix of teams interested in acquiring wideout Anquan Boldin from the Cardinals.

In a move that could drastically change this year’s NFL draft, the Ravens have expressed interest in acquiring wide receiver Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals, a league source confirmed Thursday.

It would likely take a first- and a third-round draft pick to acquire Boldin, who had 89 catches for 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

This is the third time in five years the Ravens have considered trading for a wide receiver. Their trade for Terrell Owens in 2004 was rescinded, and the team failed to complete a deal for Randy Moss in 2005.

Asked whether the Ravens have contacted the Cardinals about Boldin, general manager Ozzie Newsome said Thursday: “With the draft coming up, I’ve had a chance to talk to eight different teams over the past 48 hours.”

Boldin, 28, would be attractive to the Ravens because they couldn’t draft a proven receiver like him with the 26th overall pick.

As the article points out, if the Ravens are determined to take a receiver at No. 26, then giving up a first and a third for Boldin would be wise. Any receiver they take in the first round would need two to three years to develop and even then, they might not be half the player Boldin is right now.

Giving Joe Flacco a highly productive wide receiver like Boldin would be an outstanding move. But is it more important than filling their defensive (their identity) holes? Remember, Baltimore lost Bart Scott to the Jets in free agency and released cornerbacks Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister. They did sign free agent Domonique Foxworth, but that still leaves a hole at the other cornerback position. Then again, the Ravens would have one of the better offenses in the NFL if they brought in Boldin, so it’ll be interesting to see if they put together a trade package.

- The Ravens officially assigned the franchise tag to defensive end/linebacker Terrell Suggs. The team will now turn its attention to signing Suggs long term, as well as figuring out what to do with pending free agents Ray Lewis, Jason Brown and Bart Scott.

- The Sacramento Bee is reporting that the Raiders could be close to re-signing top free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a long-term contract.

- Speaking of the Raiders, the National Football Post reports that Oakland is actively shopping defensive end Derrick Burgess.

- The Colts re-signed cornerback Kelvin Hayden to a five-year, $43 million contract, which includes $22.5 million in guarantees.

- Rams assigned the franchise tag to free safety O.J. Atogwe, who has been the team’s best defensive back over the past couple years. If Atogwe signs the tender, he’ll be paid $6.34 million guaranteed this season.

- The Buccaneers placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Antonio Bryant, who emerged as a true playmaker last year. He’ll get $9.88 million for one season if he signs the tender.

Click here for six observations on Super Bowl XLIII.

Lucifer himself might as well have created the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday.

Is that extreme? No.

The Monday after the Super Bowl signals the end of another NFL season and that means there is no football on the horizon unless you’re one of the 10 people that watches the Pro Bowl. There are seven months between now and the start of preseason games, which makes me sick to think about. If I could freeze myself for the next seven months and thaw just in time for the 2009 season, I would.

Is that extreme? No.

But fear not my football friends because even though there isn’t any football this Sunday, it doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to get excited about while looking ahead. Below are 10 things to look forward to now that the Super Bowl is over. (And so that you don’t have to freeze yourself for the next seven months.)

Before you read on, realize that I’m not going to copout and write about how free agency and the draft are things to look forward to. Of course they are, but let’s get more specific here, people.