The 5 Greatest Wide Receivers in NFL History

You might think quarterbacks have everything to do with the perfect pass, however, wide receivers are expected to make some of the wildest catches you’ve ever witnessed. For the big yardage, wide receivers are vital for making clutch catches and even game-changing touchdowns.

As an NFL wide receiver, you’re expected to make the catch every time. While many receivers can catch tough throws, they still have to run against the opposition’s defensive line, making it even harder in most scenarios. So, in this article, we have picked out the five greatest wide receivers in NFL history, including how many games they’ve played, what teams they played for and what their important receiving stats are.

#5 – Terrell Owens

219 games, 1078 receptions, 15,934 yards, 153 TD catches

Starting this extremely competitive list of superstar wideouts is none other than Terrell Owens. Owens, throughout his 219 games, would play for the 49ers from 1996 to 2003 before heading to the Eagles, then the Cowboys, then the Bills, before finishing his career at the Bengals in 2010.

He’s not on this list for no reason, as he holds 1078 receptions and 15,934 yards, only second to Jerry Rice! To go along with his 14.8 receiving yards per play on average, he’d score 153 touchdowns, making him hard to ignore in any conversation about the greatest wide receivers.

#4 – Steve Largent

200 games, 819 receptions, 13,089 yards, 100 TD catches

Up next is Steve Largent, a 1976-1989 Seattle Seahawks member. In his career, Largent would finish at exactly 200 games played while still managing 819 catches, 13,089 yards and exactly 100 touchdown catches.

For relying on your wide receiver for consistency, Largent was your guy, gaining an average of 16 yards per reception over 200 games.

#3 – Randy Moss

218 games, 982 receptions, 15,292 yards, 156 TD catches

Randy Moss is one of the most legendary wide receivers serving the Minnesota Vikings from 1998 to 2004 before moving to the Raiders, then the Patriots before heading back to the Vikings in 2010. He’d then play for the Tennessee Titans for one year and finish his career at the 49ers in 2012.

With so much experience and 218 games under his belt, Moss accumulated a whopping 982 receptions, 15,292 reception yards and 156 touchdown catches. While not quite as high a yards per reception stat as Largent, 15.6 is nothing to scoff at, and no doubt many will believe that Moss should be even higher on our list.

#2 – Don Hutson

116 games, 488 receptions, 7,991 yards, 99 TD catches

This player goes way back in history, as the old-time legendary wide receiver Don Hutson played for the Green Bay Packers from 1935-1945, playing in only 116 games, less than any other player on this list. If we look at Hutson’s stat ratios, 7,991 yards over 488 receptions puts him at 16.4 yards per reception, giving him the highest yards per reception ratio out of any other player in NFL history.

Scoring 99 touchdowns might not seem like a lot, but over 116 games, you could expect Hutson to score at least one touchdown per game, which nowadays would be a ridiculous amount.

#1 – Jerry Rice

284 games, 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards, 197 TD catches

When we think of the greatest football players of all time, let alone wide receivers, Jerry Rice always comes to mind. Starting in 1985, he played 15 straight seasons as a wide receiver for the 49ers before moving to the Oakland Raiders from 2001-2004, then finishing up his career at the Seahawks in 2004.

Throughout his 284 career NFL games, Rice’s stats are mind-boggling. With 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards and 197 touchdown catches, no one even comes close to his accomplishments, which is why he is considered the all-time greatest wide receiver in NFL history.