Anquan Boldin and the Arizona Cardinals have repaired their relationship years after a difficult split, marked by contract disputes and Boldin’s eventual trade to the Baltimore Ravens in 2010. The reconciliation was highlighted last week when Boldin’s Sport For Impact organization honored both the team and owner Michael Bidwill. This follows Boldin’s return to a Cardinals home game last season, where he spent time with Bidwill.
Reflecting on his past injury during a 2008 game in New York, Larry Fitzgerald recounted his concern for Boldin: “I’ll never forget seeing him strapped to that gurney and in the X-ray room and I was crying profusely,” Fitzgerald recalled. “There was blood coming out of his nose and his mouth, and I get to him, and he looks at me and says, ‘Why are you crying?'” Despite suffering a broken jaw, Boldin assured Fitzgerald he would recover: “I’m gonna be alright.”
Both Bill Bidwill, then-owner of the Cardinals, and Michael Bidwill stayed with Boldin overnight in New York before returning with him on a flight piloted by Michael Bidwill. Just weeks later, Boldin returned to play against Carolina.
Fitzgerald praised Boldin’s resilience: “Most guys would’ve taken it as, ‘I’m done this year, I’ll get ready for next year,’ but that wasn’t his mentality,” Fitzgerald said. “The same mentality he had as a player is the same way he attacks life.”
Boldin acknowledged improvements in his relationship with the franchise since leaving Arizona. He credited conversations with Michael Bidwill—both now part of the NFL’s Social Justice Committee—and discussions with former general manager Rod Graves for providing closure. “I think (the relationship) is in a great place right now,” Boldin said following the Sport For Impact luncheon. “There are no hard feelings from me, nothing like that. Mike and I talk often.” He added that maturity brought new perspective: “You grow older, you mature, you gain a different view point of how things happen and what you could have done differently as well.”
Drafted by Arizona in 2003, Boldin set an NFL rookie record for receiving yards in his first game. Over 14 seasons—five of which included over 1,000 receiving yards while playing for Arizona—he became one of the franchise’s most productive receivers.
He expressed happiness at Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame induction but downplayed thoughts about his own candidacy: “I played the game for 14 years and whatever I did on the field I did on the field,” said Boldin. “For me, my life is so much more than football at this point. I have a bigger purpose.”
Since retiring from football after playing key roles during some of Arizona’s most successful seasons—including their NFC championship win in 2008 according to their official website—Boldin has focused on social justice efforts through organizations such as Players Coalition (founded amid racial unrest in 2017) and Sports For Impact.
“There is tremendous work that needs to be done,” said Boldin regarding ongoing societal issues. He added: “However I can use my voice and make a difference, I am going to continue to do it.”
Fitzgerald described Boldin as not only tough but also committed to advocacy beyond sports: “It’s the same way he fights for people who can’t fight for themselves,” Fitzgerald said.
As they stood together after an event alongside Anthony Munoz and Michael Bidwill—with no sign of previous disagreements—Fitzgerald emphasized Boldin’s lasting impact on team history: “Our greatest times in team history, he was on those teams,” Fitzgerald said. “You can’t talk about the story of the Arizona Cardinals without talking about Anquan Boldin.”
The Cardinals are based near Phoenix; they host games in Glendale as part of the NFC West division according to their official website. Founded in Chicago in 1898—they are recognized as professional football’s oldest continuously operating franchise according to their official site.