SANTA CLARA – Anquan Boldin is back from Africa, he's taken his physical, signed his contract and officially joined the 49ers.

Next on his to-do list: track down his new starting quarterback and begin building rapport.

Boldin on Wednesday said he called Colin Kaepernick, who is training in Atlanta, as soon as he returned to the United States from a charity mission in Senegal. Getting on the practice field together, Boldin said, is the next step if they want to have chemistry for the 2013 season.

"That's something that doesn't just happen overnight," Boldin said. "Any time you see a quarterback and a receiver on the same page, that means they've spent time together. So that's something I want to do."

Boldin said the time needed to create chemistry has differed with every quarterback with whom he's played during his 10 NFL seasons. It happened quickly, Boldin said, with Jeff Blake and Josh McCown in Arizona. And while he had an excellent connection with Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco last season in Baltimore – he caught four touchdown passes in the playoffs – Boldin said that process took a lot longer.

"It took probably a year for us to get on the same page and for him to have complete trust in me," Boldin said. "So hopefully, me and Colin can get together and try to shorten that window."

Passing a physical was the last step in completing the trade that brought Boldin, 32, to San Francisco for a sixth-round draft pick next month.

The wideout is playing on a one-year contract for $6 million, although he said he wouldn't mind seeing that deal extended beyond the upcoming season.

"I think any time you go somewhere, you don't want to just be there for a year," Boldin said. "You definitely want to know that you're wanted. You want to feel like that's home. You don't want to feel like it's just a stop."

Boldin and kicker Phil Dawson, another newly signed free agent, were in Santa Clara on Wednesday, and both had dinner with coach Jim Harbaugh.

Dawson, whose Cleveland squads were 0-6 against Boldin's Baltimore teams the last three seasons, said it was nice to join sides with the wideout.

"Anquan Boldin is the kind of guy who steps up in crunch time and makes a big play," Dawson said. "I'm glad he's on my team now."

Et cetera – Boldin said he intended to wear No. 81, now used by No. 2 tight end Garrett Celek. Meanwhile, Dawson has chosen No. 9, which will create a meaningful juxtaposition when he is next to holder Andy Lee, who wears No. 4.

• Veteran defensive back Charles Woodson, who visited the 49ers a week ago, told the NFL Network he felt "shunned" on the free-agent market. The 49ers have not ruled out signing Woodson, although the need for a another safety decreased when they signed Craig Dahl to a three-year deal Saturday.

• Ed Reed, another veteran safety who had been linked to the 49ers, has agreed to a deal with Houston, CBS Sports was the first to report.

Read Matthew Barrows' blogs and archives at www.sacbee.com/sf49ers and listen for his reports Tuesdays on ESPN Radio 1320. Follow him on Twitter @mattbarrows.

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