The Ultimate Playmakers: Ranking the Best Wide Receivers in NFL History
During a 2019 game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons, Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald called Julio Jones the best receiver he’s ever seen. While Jerry Rice is undoubtedly the greatest of all time, there is a difference between best and greatest. When it comes to greatness, you factor in accolades, longevity, team success, etc. When it comes to the best, it’s simply how good were you at playing the game. So who is the best receiver of all time?
6. Julio Jones
Even though Jones has been consistently dominant for the last six seasons, it always feels like he’s been in someone’s shadow. Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, and DeAndre Hopkins have all been considered better than him at one point or another, hurting his placement. Before finishing at 1,394 last year, Jones was the only receiver to ever break the 1,400-yard mark for five straight years. Massive, speedy, dominant, and a savvy route runner, Jones has averaged 104 catches per season the last few years while still maintaining a yards per catch average of 15. Jones' play doesn’t fall in the postseason either: In eight career playoff games, he’s racked up 834 receiving yards and six scores. To see peak NFL wide receiver play, put on the 2016 NFC Championship Game and watch Julio Jones annihilate the Packers helpless secondary.
5. Terrell Owens
Owens’ uncanny ability to rub people the wrong way forced his career to end earlier than it could’ve and also pushed back his inevitable Hall of Fame induction by one year. But with that being said, Owens still ended up as one of the five best and greatest receivers to ever play in the NFL. Tied for third all-time with nine 1,000 yard seasons, Owens produced everywhere, breaking that mark for three different franchises. It was tough deciding whether to put T.O. ahead of Jones, but his heroic 122 yards Super Bowl outing on a broken ankle gave him the edge. Oh, he can also run a 4.5 40 at the age of 46.
4. Antonio Brown
Although it was a conversation about Julio Jones that sparked the idea to create this ranking, it must be remembered that it was Brown who took the torch from Calvin Johnson as the league’s best receiver. Standing at just 5’10 and 185 pounds, it wasn’t Brown’s physical dominance that set him apart from everyone else. His incredible route running, hands, and ability to always be in the right place made him unstoppable. From 2013-2018, Brown averaged 114 receptions, 1524 yards, and 11 touchdowns per season. Before his off-the-field issues derailed his career, we last saw “Mr. Big Chest” racking up 185 yards and two scores in an effort to will the Pittsburgh Steelers to the postseason. Even while out of football, he may still be the best WR in the league.
3. Jerry Rice
Nearly 6,000 yards ahead of #2 on the list, Jerry Rice is the NFL’s all-time receiving leader with 22,895 career yards to his name. For every season Randy Moss played (14), Rice has a 1,000-yard campaign for it. In 2002 at the age of 40, Rice broke the 1,200-yard mark and added 77 more in the Super Bowl. It’s more than just longevity for the G.O.A.T. as well: in his prime, Rice was as good as anyone ever. Before Calvin Johnson took the record in 2012, Rice had the single-season yardage record. Before Randy Moss racked up 23 touchdowns in ‘07, it was Rice who had 22 in ‘87… a season where he played only 12 games.
2. Calvin Johnson
When playing for a team as historically inept as the Lions, it’s hard to get your due. For the man nicknamed ‘Megatron,’ that wasn’t the case. Even though his teams were often nowhere near the playoff picture, Johnson was still universally recognized as the best receiver in football. Matthew Stafford would often launch bombs into double and triple coverage, rightfully expecting #81 to come down with them. In 2012, Johnson broke the single-season receiving yards record, falling just 36 yards shy of 2,000 yards. Just a season before that, Johnson recorded a ridiculous stat line of 12/211/2 in his FIRST career postseason game. As a result emblematic of his entire career, his team still lost by 17. A 6’5, 240-lb behemoth with 4.35 speed, it’s unfortunate that the career of a generational talent like this was wasted by an incompetent franchise.
1. Randy Moss
When looking at talent alone, Moss probably should’ve been the greatest receiver to ever play the game. Even though several issues prevented that from happening, Moss still showcased why he was the best. As a rookie, Moss would break the 1,300-yard mark and score an NFL rookie record 17 receiving touchdowns. He broke 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons, something only current Bucs receiver Mike Evans has been able to match. Moss was always the fastest player on the field, and was so good at catching the football that he had a term named after him. The act of ‘mossing’ a defender is making a contested-catch over them. Moss was also an integral part of arguably the greatest offense of all time, the 2007 Patriots. That year, he was the recipient of 23 of Tom Brady’s then-record 50 TD passes.
All statistics courtesy of profootballreference.com
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