The sport’s biggest move catchers are on this record.
The NFL is vastly completely different in 2025 than it was in 1985. Heck, it’s vastly completely different than it was 2015. In right now’s NFL, the secret is to throw the ball. Air it out and let your playmakers do the remaining.
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It is unfair to check eras, and that is not what this record is doing. It is merely a listing of the highest ten receiving yards in a single-season. And with out additional ado…
10. Charley Hennigan – 1,746 – Houston Oilers, 1961
One of many sport’s first really nice seasons by a large receiver got here throughout a time when throwing the ball was nonetheless a overseas idea. Overseas to everybody not named Charley Hennigan.
The Houston Oiler large receiver put up a season for the ages in 1961, when he completed with 82 receptions for 1,746 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Professional that yr, serving to the Oilers win their second consecutive AFL championship.
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9. CeeDee Lamb – 1,749 – Dallas Cowboys, 2023
Nonetheless within the midst of his prime, Dallas Cowboys large receiver CeeDee Lamb has turn into one of many NFL’s greatest large receivers. It was all however confirmed Lamb was elite by the top of his third season, however his fourth one cemented it.
In 2023, Lamb completed with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Cowboys have a protracted historical past of wonderful wideouts sporting the No. 88, most notably Corridor of Famers Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin, together with Dez. Bryant.
Lamb is beginning to put collectively a case, declaring him the most effective, and he is not slowing down anytime quickly.
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8. Isaac Bruce – 1,781 – St. Louis Rams, 1995
Earlier than the “Biggest Present on Turf” had absolutely arrived in St. Louis, Isaac Bruce was placing up insane numbers, most notably throughout his 1995 marketing campaign.
Bruce completed the yr with 119 receptions for 1,781 yards and 13 touchdowns in simply his second yr within the league. The Corridor of Famer would solely get higher with the arrival of Kurt Warner, serving to lead the Rams to a victory in Tremendous Bowl XXXIV.
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7. Tyreek Hill – 1,799 – Miami Dolphins, 2023
Blink and you may miss him. After the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins forward of the 2022 season, many questioned how the person nicknamed “Cheetah” would have the ability to carry out with out Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball.
Spoiler: Hill solely acquired higher. In 2022, he recorded 119 receptions for 1,710 yards and 6 touchdowns. Then in 2023 he by some means outdid himself, ending with 119 receptions for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Secure to say it does not matter who throws the ball to Hill. He’ll make performs regardless.
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6. Justin Jefferson – 1,809 – Minnesota Vikings, 2022
The person who’s at present on tempo to be one of many all-time greats, Justin Jefferson is off to the quickest begin in NFL historical past on the subject of receiving yards in a participant’s first 5 seasons.
Jefferson has 7,432 yards, adopted by Torry Holt’s 6,784, Randy Moss’ 6,743 and Jerry Rice’s 6,364. You will have heard of these names.
The Minnesota Vikings star’s most prolific season thus far got here in 2022, when he completed with 128 receptions for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns.
Like Lamb, Jefferson is at present probably the greatest within the recreation, and his trajectory has him on par to be probably the greatest ever. Interval.
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5. Antonio Brown – 1,834 – Pittsburgh Steelers, 2015
One of many greatest “what-ifs” of an NFL profession belongs to a person who nonetheless has over 900 receptions, 12,000 yards and 80 touchdowns to his title, however that is the prevailing sentiment round Antonio Brown’s profession.
Whereas it will definitely went off the rails the second he left Pittsburgh, on the peak of his powers, no one was higher than Brown. One in every of his greatest seasons of his profession got here in 2015 when he completed with 136 receptions for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns.
As nice as Brown’s profession was, it had the prospect to be even higher, which is difficult to imagine when trying on the numbers and watching it in actual time.
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4. Jerry Rice – 1,848 – San Francisco 49ers, 1995
“Jesus in cleats,” is what Irvin known as Jerry Rice. The San Francisco 49ers star owns the title as the best large receiver in NFL historical past.
Together with the laundry record of profession data, Rice’s 1995 season was just like so lots of his others, which is saying one thing, contemplating that he completed that yr with 122 receptions for 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The three-time Tremendous Bowl champion, 13-time Professional Bowler, 10-time All-Professional, and Tremendous Bowl MVP performed for twenty years, ending his profession with 1,549 receptions for 22,985 yards, and 197 touchdowns.
All data, and by a number of miles. There was nobody like Rice.
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3. Julio Jones – 1,871 – Atlanta Falcons, 2015
Julio Jones is what you envision large receivers to appear to be. He was born to play the place and his 2015 season confirmed everybody why.
That yr he completed with 136 receptions for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns. A yr later he helped the Atlanta Falcons attain the Tremendous Bowl and was an all-time collapse away from successful the franchise’s first world championship.
Jones was made within the picture of a sure somebody on this record, who may be at No. 1, however he carved a reputation for himself as one among his technology’s greatest to do it.
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2. Cooper Kupp – 1,947 – Los Angeles Rams, 2021
Cooper Kupp’s 2021 season is arguably the best single-season by a large receiver in NFL historical past.
Not solely did he end the season with a whopping 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns, whereas taking dwelling the triple-crown, however Kupp had probably the most prolific postseasons ever.
He carried the Rams to a victory in Tremendous Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals and took dwelling MVP honors, cementing his standing, or not less than that season, as all-time.
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1. Calvin Johnson – 1,964 – Detroit Lions, 2012
The usual is the usual, and that normal was established in 2012 when Calvin Johnson went for 122 receptions for 1,964 yards and oddly sufficient, solely 5 touchdowns.
However the yards are essentially the most in NFL historical past and he solely wanted 16 video games to do it, whereas others had an additional recreation to work with. Satirically sufficient, the highest two seasons with essentially the most receiving yards in NFL historical past each got here by the use of quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing passes to Kupp and Johnson.
The person nicknamed Megatron had probably the most dominant, albeit brief, careers of all-time. There is a cause some contemplate him the most effective, regardless that he solely performed 9 seasons.
As a lot of a bodily freak as Jones was, Johnson was the mannequin. He was created in a lab, and gave Lions followers a cause to look at video games for almost a decade.
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The race is on to catch Johnson’s mark, however so is the race to be the primary large receiver to crack 2,000 yards.
Jefferson and Lamb are in place to take action, however so is celebrity wideout Ja’Marr Chase, who’s coming off a triple-crown season of his personal, ending with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In the end, there’s going to be a WR who will get over the two,000-yard mark and take their place at No. 1 on the record, however for now, everyone seems to be trying up at Johnson’s 1,964.
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