He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft.

[6] Also a standout track athlete, Boldin competed in sprinting, jumping and throwing events at Pahokee High.

[15] Boldin set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game with 217 on ten receptions against the Detroit Lions.

[22][23] He is also the fastest to record 300 career receptions (47 games) and finished the season with 101 catches, 1,377 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns.

Arguably his finest moment came against the San Francisco 49ers on December 4 when he broke several tackles and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 17–10 win.

[39] That year, he and fellow wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald became only the third duo from the same team to each catch over 100 receptions and top the 1,400-yard mark.

They joined Detroit's Herman Moore and Brett Perriman, who accomplished the feat in 1995, and Denver Broncos tandem Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith, who did it in 2000.

[43] After compiling 83 catches, 1,203 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2006, Boldin was selected to play in his second Pro Bowl.

[52] On September 28, 2008, Boldin was carted off the field after a violent helmet-to-helmet collision in the end zone with 27 seconds remaining in the Cardinals' 56–35 loss to the New York Jets.

[54] On October 4, 2008, coach Ken Whisenhunt announced that Boldin would be out for an indefinite time period with fractured paranasal sinuses.

[59] On January 3, 2009, in his first post-season game, against the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round, Boldin had a 71-yard catch and run for a touchdown.

[60] In the Super Bowl XLIII loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Boldin caught eight passes for 84 yards.

[63] In a Week 10 game against the Seattle Seahawks, Boldin became the fifth-fastest NFL player to record 7,000 receiving yards.

[68] In Boldin's Week 1 debut as a Raven, he caught seven passes for 110 yards, and was one of the few offensive players with strong contributions in the 10–9 defensive game eventually won over the New York Jets by Baltimore.

[69] In Week 3, against the division rival Cleveland Browns, Boldin caught eight passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

[75] The following week, Boldin would only record one reception for −2 yards as the Ravens had their season ended in the Divisional Round with another loss to the Steelers.

[77] He continued his strong level of play the following week, catching seven passes for a season-high 145 yards as he helped the Ravens put together their biggest comeback win ever against his former team, the Arizona Cardinals.

[78] Boldin finished the regular season as the Ravens leading receiver once again, catching 57 passes for 887 yards, topping his total from 2011, but also had four fewer touchdowns, only scoring three on the year.

[81] Boldin had six catches for 101 yards in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, but the Ravens eventually lost after a dropped touchdown pass by Lee Evans and a missed field goal by Billy Cundiff.

[88] In the Divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos, Boldin caught six passes for 71 yards as he helped the Ravens pull off a 38–35 upset win.

[89] In the AFC Championship, Boldin had five catches for 60 yards and a pair of scores as the Ravens defeated the New England Patriots 28–13.

[90] Boldin got his first championship title as the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers, his future team, by a score of 34–31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

[99] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Carolina Panthers, Boldin had eight receptions for 136 receiving yards in the 23–10 victory.

[111] On September 11, 2016, in the season opening victory against the Indianapolis Colts, Boldin reached 13,230 yards for his career, moving ahead of Andre Reed for No.

[114] In Week 14, against the Chicago Bears, Boldin reached 1,064 receptions for his career, moving him into 10th all time, passing Andre Johnson.

[117] However, on August 20, less than two weeks after joining the team, Boldin abruptly retired, saying "his life's purpose is bigger than football" and he intended to focus on humanitarian work.

The Foundation is dedicated to expanding the educational and life opportunities of underprivileged children and has a track record for sustaining programs in multiple cities.

As evidenced by the charitable activities in Arizona, Baltimore and Boldin's home state of Florida, the Q81 Foundation has its annual Q-Festival Weekend,[129] Holiday Turkey Drive and Shopping Spree, and Q81 Summer Enrichment Program partnered with Florida Crystals[130] The Foundation exercises scholarship and dental programs for children.

[131] In March 2012, Boldin and former Cardinals teammate Larry Fitzgerald went to Ethiopia, where they volunteered to move rocks to create arable land.