Lions sign former 49ers favorite Anquan Boldin Lions sign former 49ers favorite Anquan Boldin

A day before their first training camp practice at Allen Park, Mich., the Detroit Lions added depth to a position depleted by Calvin Johnson’s departure by signing Anquan Boldin on Thursday.

Boldin is looking to extend his career after another solid season with the 49ers. He ranks among the NFL’s top 20 with 1,009 catches and 13,195 yards receiving. Boldin has scored 75 touchdowns and started 182 games with Arizona, Baltimore and San Francisco over his 13-year career.

The 35-year-old started 13 games last season with the 49ers, making 69 catches for 789 yards after averaging 84 receptions the previous two seasons. In Boldin’s last season with the Ravens in 2012, current Lions head coach Jim Caldwell closed the Super Bowl-winning season as his offensive coordinator.

“He’s maybe one of the best competitors I’ve ever been around in terms of just flat out competing against individuals on game day,” Caldwell said. “He just had a knack of setting a great tone. He fights for the ball. He makes tough catches.”

Boldin was named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in February, earning the award for community service.

MEXICO CITY SOLD OUT

The NFL says the Nov. 21 Monday night game in Mexico City between the Raiders and the Houston Texans has sold out within minutes. A league statement says tickets went on sale at 11 a.m. Thursday and were gone in under a half-hour.

Mexico is one of the few countries outside of the U.S. with a large fan base for the sport that folks here call “American football.” League officials have said it’s their biggest foreign market.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement that the rapid sellout “further confirms what a passionate fan base we have in Mexico.”

The game at the cavernous Azteca stadium will mark the league’s return to Mexico for the first time since the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals came in 2005.

VEGAS NARROWING SITES

Developers who want to build a domed stadium for the Raiders in Las Vegas vowed to zero in on two potential sites within the next month as they face a tight timeline to lock in a real estate deal, government approvals and the NFL’s blessing.

Representatives from Majestic Realty and the Las Vegas Sands casino company told an oversight committee that they want to get their plan in order by January, when NFL owners who must approve any team relocation by a three-quarters vote are scheduled to meet.

The Raiders are mulling a move to Las Vegas as Oakland hasn’t made significant progress toward building them a new stadium. Los Angeles is another potential home for the team, pending a stadium referendum in San Diego.

Raiders owner Mark Davis has said he’d prefer to move the Raiders to Las Vegas - a position reiterated by team president Marc Badain on Thursday. “I know there are some people that question our commitment,” Badain told Las Vegas-area business and government leaders. “I hope they don’t.”

NINERS DEFENDER RETIRES

San Francisco defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey is retiring after just two seasons as a pro.

Ramsey was drafted in the seventh round out of Boston College in 2014. He spent his first season on the physically unable to perform list and spent most of last season on the practice squad. Ramsey thanked the 49ers for their support sand said he made the decision to retire to focus on other priorities in his life.

VIKINGS REWARD ZIMMER

The Minnesota Vikings announced they’ve added to Mike Zimmer’s deal, rewarding their head coach well before his contract status ever became a headline and further galvanizing an organization already buzzing with anticipation of the season and the future.

General manager Rick Spielman declined to disclose the terms of the deal, revealed when the Vikings reported to Minnesota State University in Mankato, but Zimmer’s original contract was not close to expiring. Zimmer even said he saw no rush to address it, entering his third season on the job.

The ribbon has been cut at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Next week, they’ll break ground on new suburban headquarters. Coming off an 11-5 regular-season finish that earned them the NFC North title, the team has plenty of momentum. Now the power structure has even more stability.

FALCONS’ JONES INJURED

The Atlanta Falcons were cautious on the opening day of training camp at Flowery Branch, Ga., pulling star wide receiver Julio Jones out of practice with an injury coach Dan Quinn described as minor.

Quinn wouldn’t describe the injury, and Jones showed no apparent difficulty as he walked off the field at the end of the session.

Jones, who had two surgeries on his right foot in the past five years, is coming off his first All-Pro season. He’s among the team leaders after the release of receiver Roddy White.

Jones had surgery in 2013 to repair the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. He broke the same bone in the foot in 2011.