From the first game Anquan Boldin played with the Cardinals, he was a star.

Boldin had 10 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns that day in Detroit, and for those seven seasons as a Cardinal, he put up the best statistics of what would be a 14-year career. It's a big reason Boldin is a Hall of Fame semifinalist (one of 25) this year, in a list announced Tuesday.

Defensive end Dwight Freeney was the only other semifinalist with Cardinals ties, having played a big role on the 2015 team that reached the NFC Championship game.

Boldin piled up 586 catches for 7,520 yards and 44 touchdowns and had five of his seven 1,000-yard seasons while playing for the Cardinals. He was traded before the 2010 season to the Ravens after the relationship with the franchise soured because of contract desires (Boldin has since said he no longer has any issues with the organization.) Boldin also played with the 49ers and Lions. 

For his career he had 1,076 receptions for 13,779 yards and 82 TDs, and it is the third straight year he is a semifinalist. He is ninth in the NFL all-time in receptions and 14th in yards. He and Larry Fitzgerald made for a dangerous duo for the six seasons they played together.

There are five other wide receivers among the semifinalists: Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Hines Ward and Reggie Wayne. 

Freeney was signed five games into the 2015 season and proceeded to compile eight sacks in 11 games. In his career, Freeney had 125.5 sacks, good for 26th all-time in NFL history, playing for the Colts, Chargers, Cardinals, Falcons, Lions and Seahawks.