Ranking the 10 best receivers in NFL history (2024)

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Teams: Houston Oilers (1976), Seattle Seahawks (1976-1989)

Accolades: 7-time Pro Bowler, First-Team All-Pro (1985), 2-time receiving yards leader

Largent was never the tallest, strongest, or fastest player on the field. Arguably the first great Seahawk ever, he turned in a career built on consistent excellence anyway. While languishing on mediocre Seattle teams for most of his career, Largent caught at least 66 passes and 1,000 yards in eight of his 14 seasons. Mind you, given his team situation and an NFL era that had not yet exploded in a passing sense; these numbers should be heavily inflated from a modern perspective.

At the time of his retirement in 1989, Largent owned every major receiving record. That fact underscores one of the more underrated individual careers in NFL history.

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Teams: Indianapolis Colts (1996-2008)

Accolades: Super Bowl 41 champion, 8-time Pro Bowler, 3-time First-Team All-Pro, 2-time receiving yards leader, 2-time receptions leader, receiving touchdowns co-leader (2005)

For over a decade, Harrison was Peyton Manning’s trusted (and quite dynamic) safety valve with the Colts. He was the centerpiece of the league’s highest-flying offense, the receiving sidekick most responsible for Manning running roughshod on the NFL in the 2000s. Harrison had four separate prolific seasons with at least 100 receptions and 1,400 receiving yards. And he did it all by punching in and punching out, seldom saying a word after he burned helpless cornerbacks.

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Teams: Philadelphia Eagles (1987-1989), Minnesota Vikings (1990-2001), Miami Dolphins (2002)

Accolades: 8-time Pro Bowler, 2-time First-Team All-Pro, 3-time receiving touchdowns leader, receptions leader (1994)

After the Eagles rightfully gave up on Carter to start his career, the Vikings gave the Hall of Famer a second wind. He didn’t waste the opportunity. The 1990s saw Carter become one of the greatest Vikings of all time, a man with hands as sticky as super glue and a leaping verticality that allowed him to catch any pass even somewhat close to his vicinity.

It also didn’t matter who Carter’s quarterback was. Be it Jim McMahon, Brad Johnson, or the great Warren Moon, Carter shined and excelled with everyone.

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Teams: Detroit Lions (2007-2015)

Accolades: Single-season receiving yards record holder (2012), 6-time Pro Bowler, 3-time First-Team All-Pro, 2-time receiving yards leader (2011, 2012), receptions leader (2012), receiving touchdowns co-leader (2008)

From a pure raw talent standpoint, Johnson just might be the best receiver ever. In the entire 100-plus-year history of the NFL, no one has ever possessed his unique blend of size, speed, and route savvy. Dearest readers, the 6-foot-5 superhuman could run a 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds while weighing over 230 pounds. Read that again, then come back to me.

Put another way: Johnson was constructed in a lab to embarrass defenders.

In terms of individual achievement, Johnson’s 2012 campaign, where he broke the single-season receiving yards record while catching 122 passes, is one of the most dominant ever by any player at any position. His career average of 15.9 yards a catch for someone who saw 145 targets a season is positively mind-boggling. If not for an early retirement, he’d probably be much higher on this list.

The Lions could funnel their offense through Johnson and never worry that he wouldn’t deliver as an all-around No. 1 playmaker. The nickname of “Megatron” felt so appropriate the moment it was bestowed upon him.

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Teams: Los Angeles Chargers (1962-1970), Dallas Cowboys (1971-1972)

Accolades: Super Bowl 6 champion, AFL champion (1963), AFL Player of the Year (1963), 7-time AFL All-Star, 6-time First-Team All-AFL, 3-time AFL receiving yards leader, 3-time AFL receptions leader, 3-time receiving touchdowns leader

OK, yes, this is technically a list of NFL receivers, and Alworth did most of his brilliant work in the AFL. But it’s also my list, so I’ve decided to grandfather in one of the finest playmakers ever, as he would’ve destroyed NFL defenders, too. In a 1960s era of football defined by running halfback dives into the line of scrimmage, Alworth was a one-man spectacle. At the peak of his career, enjoyed seven straight seasons of at least 1,000 yards, an unthinkable achievement during that time. At his absolute finest, he led the AFL in yards, receptions, and touchdowns in three consecutive years.

Alworth was a pioneer. He was someone who helped show how explosive and useful the passing game can be in football if applied properly. The epic novel of this brutal gridiron game is incomplete without the extended chapter detailing his story.

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Teams: Arizona Cardinals (2004-2020)

Accolades: 11-time Pro Bowler, First-Team All-Pro (2008), 2-time receptions leader, 2-time receiving touchdowns leader

It’s rare to find a soul who actually disliked Fitzgerald as a football player.

In fact, amid the entire 21st-century gallery of football heroes, Fitzgerald’s insistence on projecting a genial class while weaving his way around cornerbacks made him a universally beloved figure. Another player who was exceptional regardless of his quarterback, Fitzgerald is second all-time in receiving yards despite only really having two consistent starting passers in his entire 17-year career. His legendary performance in Super Bowl 43 — where he caught seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns — is firmly etched into NFL lore even in defeat.

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Teams: Green Bay Packers (1935-1945)

Accolades: 3-time NFL champion, 2-time MVP, 8-time First-Team All-Pro, 4-time NFL All-Star, 9-time receiving touchdowns leader, 8-time receptions leader, 7-time receiving yards leader, 5-time scoring leader

The first great wide receiver of his time, Hutson had complete dominion over his era of football in the 1930s and 1940s. He had no peers. That’s not hyperbole for Curly Lambeau’s crown jewel playmaker. That’s just a fact. Hutson led the NFL in each of the big three receiving statistics for the majority of his career. He was such a machine that he still owns the record for most consecutive seasons ever (5) leading the league in scoring … decades after the end of his career.

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Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1996-2003), Philadelphia Eagles (2004-2005), Dallas Cowboys (2006-2008), Buffalo Bills (2009), Cincinnati Bengals (2010), Seattle Seahawks (2012)

Accolades: 6-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First-Team All-Pro, 3-time receiving touchdowns leader

Owens’ diva antics often overshadowed his superb play on the field, but they were a feature, not a bug. They were how one of the more forceful receivers ever jazzed himself up to push around defenses every Sunday. They were part of the trade you made for a clutch touchdown catch or 20 yards on third-and-very-long when you needed 19. To Owens’ credit, he made that deal worth it for everyone willing to sign him. Owens is in the top five in all-time receiving yards and all-time touchdowns (not just receiving) because even when he rubbed teammates and coaches the wrong way, he was usually an impossible cover.

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Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1998-2004, 2010), Las Vegas Raiders (2005-2006), New England Patriots (2007-2010), Tennessee Titans (2010), San Francisco 49ers (2012)

Accolades: 6-time Pro Bowler, 4-time First-Team All-Pro, Offensive Rookie of the Year (1998), 5-time receiving touchdowns leader

Pound for pound, I think Moss is the scariest receiver I’ve ever seen. If you were a defender given the unenviable task of covering him, it was over the moment you saw him throw his hand up, which sometimes happened mere yards from the line of scrimmage. Moss was so extraordinary in his prime — a graceful acrobat like we’ve never seen before — that he literally has a football event named after him. If someone catches a pass over the top of a defender, it’s colloquially called “getting Mossed.” In his first season with a Hall of Fame quarterback (Tom Brady), Moss set the single-season record for receiving touchdowns with 23.

Now, imagine if Moss had Brady throwing passes to him when he was younger. (Shudders)

I couldn’t think of better endorsem*nts for Moss if I tried.

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Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1985-2000), Las Vegas Raiders (2001-2004), Seattle Seahawks (2004), Denver Broncos (2005)

Accolades: All-time career receiving yards leader, all-time career receptions leader, all-time career touchdowns leader, all-time career yards from scrimmage leader, 3-time Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl 23 MVP, 2-time Offensive Player of the Year, 13-time Pro Bowler, 10-time First-Team All-Pro, 6-time receiving yards leader, 6-time receiving touchdowns leader, 2-time receptions leader, scoring leader (1987)

At this point, Rice shouldn’t need an introduction. He’s Jerry Rice, after all. But I’m going to give it a spin anyway.

Rice was not a tremendous physical specimen. He had an average build of your bog-standard fit American man. Yet, what he lacked in transcendent physical ability, Rice made up for it with good old-fashioned tenacity and hard work. It’s a cliche, and it’s built into the job of a professional athlete, but Rice really might have outworked the competition. That’s why he holds every all-time receiving record, with no one close to him. That’s why he has the most touchdowns ever, with also no one close to him. That’s why he had 14 seasons of at least 1,000 yards (!), many of those campaigns coming in his late 30s. Rice was unstoppable because he never let himself slow down.

In my eyes, Rice is not only the best receiver ever but the greatest football player of all time.