Arizona Cardinals History: Who had the most receiving yards in a single season?

The Arizona Cardinals have had some of the most dynamic pass-catchers in NFL history, but only one can hold the single-season record for receiving yards.

Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in NFL history and a few have even listed the former Arizona Cardinals great on top of the list, surpassing even players like Jerry Rice in the process. But ironically enough, Fitzgerald is not the franchise’s leader of single-season receiving yards. In fact, he’s fourth on the list. 

So who took the top spot? A few candidates who might jump out at you are players like Anquan Boldin, DeAndre Hopkins, Jackie Smith, and Roy Green. But none of them hold the honor. Instead, the player with the most single-season receiving yards in franchise history is David Boston. 

David Boston holds Arizona Cardinals single-season record in receiving yards

David Boston enjoyed a 2001 season to remember, even if the Cardinals sat at a mediocre 7-9 to end the season. Nonetheless, he hauled in 98 catches that year for 1,598 yards, 16.3 yards per reception, and eight receiving touchdowns. 

It was Boston’s third season in the NFL, and he looked like a star in the making, having improved his output from his rookie year in 1999 from 40 receptions and 473 yards to 71 catches for 1,156 yards in 2001, and finally, to the numbers shown above in 2001. But Boston fell back to Earth in 2002, playing in just eight games and logging 32 catches on 75 targets for 512 yards. 

He moved on to the San Diego Chargers, where he regained his old form. But ensuing spats with the organization prompted the Chargers to trade him to the Miami Dolphins in 2004, where he missed the entire season thanks to a knee injury.

Boston played for the Dolphins in 2005, but he caught just four passes in 10 games, before injury issues again sprang up, prompting Miami to cut ties with him. He then signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2006, but he never played a down with the team. They eventually cut him in September 2007. 

(Statistics provided by Stat Muse and Pro-Football-Reference)