He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003, was selected for three Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens. 1999 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) Ambassador, broke Jerry Rice’s single-season touchdown record, The Greatest College Football Programs Of All Time—ranked, Grilling Hacks That’ll Make Everyone Think You’re A Barbecue Expert, Ridiculously Easy Home Repair Tips You Need If You’re Not Handy, What Historic Battlefields Look Like Today, Recent NFL Draft Picks That Already Look Like Busts. (217 games – 1,000 rec., 12,083 yards, 85 TDs). He spent 16 years with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s also responsible for one of the boldest performances in Super Bowl history. He's joined by seven-time Pro Bowler Randy Gradishar, who is one of the best players in NFL history outside of Canton. * DFP requires multiple purposes listed below: He caught nine passes for 122 yards in Super Bowl XXXIX for the Philadelphia Eagles — defying the advice of his doctors by playing a mere seven weeks after breaking a leg bone and tearing a ligament in his right ankle. He remains the Panthers’ all-time leader in total touchdowns (67), receptions (836) and receiving yards (12,197). During his 11 seasons with the Rams, he went to three Pro Bowls, first as a punt returner before becoming a wide receiver in 1988. Anquan Boldin stockpiled 13,779 receiving yards over 14 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Arizona Cardinals (joining the team in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft), the Baltimore Ravens (2010–2012), San Francisco 49ers (2013–2015) and Detroit Lions (2016). Whether they’re unbelievable physical specimens or simply phenomenal route runners, wideouts are visible, engaging, and capable of developing a unique chemistry with their quarterbacks, emerging as go-to-guys in the clutch. The wide receiver position at the NFL level tends to be dominated by African Americans, but here are some notable caucasian players, both good and bad . Detroit 2007-15 But after him, … Here are the top wide receivers in NFL history, based on their number of receiving yards. (116 games – 336 rec., 5,462 yards, 51 TDs) Largent was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, his first year of eligibility. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2008. He played for the University of Pittsburgh football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers, under head coach Walt Harris and was widely considered one of the best wide receivers in college football from 2002 to 2003. After retiring from professional football with a total of 14,345 receiving yards, Wayne became a volunteer receivers coach for the Colts, and in November 2018 he became the 15th player to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. 25.) Is Calvin Johnson the second-best WR in NFL history? Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1996. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in November 2018 but got released a month later without appearing in a single game for the team. "I'll put myself first, I'll put (Terrell Owens) second. When he was on (as in 2007 when he caught a single-season record 23 TDs), he was the best in the league. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015 and tallied 14,934 receiving yards during his career. In addition to his prolific receiving statistics, Reed also rushed 75 times for 500 yards in his career. Monk was the only constant in the wide receiver corps as the Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. In 2012 Holt signed a ceremonial contract with the St. Louis Rams to retire with the team, with 13,382 receiving yards. (193 games – 1,062 rec., 14,185 yards, 70 TDs). Pittsburgh 1998-2011 Sports online. During his career he scored 84 touchdowns and gained 242 rushing yards, 2,055 yards returning punts and 505 yards on kickoff returns. Dallas 1988-99 The definitive ranking of every NFL team's best WR. Tallent is a writer whose articles have appeared in The Sweet Science, FOX Sports’ Outkick the Coverage, Liberty Island and The Washington Post. By Ross Kelly Aug 02, 2017. Green Bay 1988-94 No other wideout can touch the San Francisco 49ers legend's career numbers. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1988. }); Henry Ellard started his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams after being picked in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft. Los Angeles Raiders 1988-94; Oakland Raiders 1995-2003; Tampa Bay 2004 Arizona 2004-current At the time of his retirement, Reed was second all-time in career receptions and boasted 13,198 receiving yards. He finished his career with 15,208 receiving yards and will be remembered for one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history: catching the game-winning, 73-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes remaining in the Rams’ victory over the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. * 'measurement': 5 (190 games – 1,102 rec., 14,580 yards, 128 TDs) attachDfpMoreSlotEvent(jQuery); Randy Moss' list of the best wide receivers in NFL history features himself at the top, and Jerry Rice might not even make the first three. Brandin Cooks is coming off of a down season. He’s already shown what he can do in big games, as he was the man behind one of the most memorable plays in recent NFL playoff history as well. Over the next few years, personal issues overshadowed his game and earned him a four-game suspension in 2003 for an undisclosed substance abuse violation. Randy Moss made a bold claim this week, stating that he is the best wide receiver ever to play in the NFL. It’s no secret that the wide receiver position in the NFL is dominated by African Americans. He had his best season in 2008, reeling in 35 catches for 445 yards, and two touchdowns. Fitzgerald is the youngest player in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes in a career, and is now second all-time in yards and receptions. $.each(dfpMoreSlots, function (index, element) { Berry had the greatest hands of his era. Ultimately, this earned him 15,594 all-purpose yards. The Top 25 Wide Receivers in the History of the NFL. That’s saying something. Isaac Bruce put up extraordinary numbers during his playing career, finishing with the fourth-most receiving yards at his position (15,208) in NFL history. Chris Gamble . Michael “The Playmaker” Irvin won three Super Bowls during his 11-year run with the Dallas Cowboys and tallied 11,904 receiving yards. Copyright © The Delite, All Rights Reserved. Lofton was the first player to reach 14,000 career receiving yards. Holt underwent surgery and was subsequently released by the team with an injury settlement. In their nine seasons together, Bruce and Holt combined for 1,435 catches for 21,310 yards and 126 touchdowns. Like Harrison, he was part of the Colts’  Super Bowl XLI championship team that triumphed over the Chicago Bears. His retirement after only nine seasons will always leave us wondering what might have been. His professional football career ended in 2000 due to a spinal cord injury sustained during a 1999 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, when he caught a pass from Troy Aikman. Before coaching for the San Diego Chargers from 2002 to 2008, James Lofton was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers (1978–1986), Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1988), Buffalo Bills (1989–1992), Los Angeles Rams (1993) and Philadelphia Eagles (1993). 'GMFB': Best WR-DB matchups in playoff history The "Good Morning Football" crew breaks down the top wide receiver vs. defensive back matchups in NFL playoff history. Indianapolis 1996-2008 (190 games – 589 rec., 8,974 yards, 76 TDs) A wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–89), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002), Carter was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. Wide receivers have to be fast to help move the ball down the field, and some cover more ground than others. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronTallent. To date, he has 12,351 receiving runs under his belt. Ranking the thousands of wide receivers who pass through the NFL is daunti NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019). Bruce played two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers before retiring in 2009. Rice retired in 2006 with three Super Bowl rings, 1,549 passes and 197 touchdowns. There have been a lot of great wide receivers in the NFL. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2001. 9 2009: Ted Ginn Jr. NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019). Jerry Rice is the undisputed No. Regarded as one of the greatest receivers in NFL postseason history (with 88 receptions for 1,181 yards and 10 touchdowns in playoff competition) and the greatest blocking receiver in NFL history, Ward now has a media career and acts as the Player Relations Executive for the Alliance of American Football. A neck injury cut his brilliant career short. San Francisco 1996-2003; Philadelphia 2004-05; Dallas 2006-08; Buffalo 2009; Cincinnati 2010 (112 games – 595 rec., 8,134 yards, 65 TDs). (211 games – 1,070 rec., 14,345 yards, 82 TDs). He spent eight seasons with the Oilers and then the Titans, including two Pro Bowl selections (2000 and 2003). ConsentManager.registerPurposeHandler(['storage', 'personalization', 'ad_selection', 'measurement'], function() { Seattle 1976-89 window.attachEvent('onload', function () { In fact, Moss claims he is the best wide receiver in NFL history, Terrell Owens is second, and then he puts Rice either 3rd or 4th. He’s been selected for the Pro Bowl 11 times, and was named First-team All-Pro in 2008 and Second-team All-Pro in 2009 and again in 2011. Jerry Rice and Sterling Sharpe are the other two. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2018 He actually got better with age, amassing more receiving yards during his 30s than he did in his 20s. Imagine if Brett Favre had been able to throw to him for most of his career. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1973 He was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015 before being elected in 2016. 4. In the five years prior to Torry Holt entering the NFL, Issac Bruce was already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2005, becoming their all-time leading receiver with 5,777 yards from 2005 to 2010. He played 224 games and was the first player to record a touchdown reception in 15 consecutive seasons. > second,” Moss said. Throw in Matt Blair, who made … } Johnson made headlines around the world in 2012 when his foundation, the Andre Johnson Charitable Foundation, spent over $19,000 for kids from a local Family Protective Services branch to have a shopping spree at Toys ‘R’ Us. He clocked up a total of 14,004 receiving yards over his career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. (154 games – 631 rec., 9,275 yards, 68 TDs) ​NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019). So, in honor of Welker's birthday, we decided to rank him alongside some of the NFL's other best white wide receivers to provide an idea of where he stands in the history of the league. 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