The wide receivers are the spark plug of an NFL team’s offense. Some have speed, hand abilities, or are just bulldozers in getting yards and up field.
Here are the greatest wide receivers per team in NFL history. Some are true legends of the game, others lost to the sands of time.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans
Evans is a legend in Tampa Bay and things got a lot better when a guy by the name of Tom Brady showed up. Evans never had a season where he had less than 1,000 receiving yards.
New York Jets: Don Maynard
The right-hand man of Joe Namath, Maynard averaged 19 yards per catch in his 13 seasons with the Jets. Upon his retirement Maynard was the all-time yards leader in the NFL 11,834.
New Orleans Saints: Marques Colston
A Super Bowl champion, 72 receiving touchdowns during his long career, and 9,759 receiving yards. Most seasons with 1,000 receiving yards (6) in this history of the Saints.
Los Angeles Chargers: Lance Alworth
A master at receiving yards, Alworth is the second player to break the 10,000 yards barrier; he had 5 1,200 receiving yard seasons in the NFL.
Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson
Megatron as he was known was an imposing 240-pound wide receiver with an amazing catching abilities. Johnson at one time was averaging 111 yards per game and would retire from the NFL at the age of 30, in his prime for sure.
Cincinnati Bengals: Chad Ochocinco
Ochocinco was a strange yet charismatic player in the NFL, good with his hands, quick with his feet, and quicker with his tongue. He was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL at his peak and during his era.
Tennessee Titans: Charley Hennigan
A standout of the early years of the NFL, in 1961 he set a league record for receiving yards, in 1964 Hennigan made 101 catches and he held that record for nearly 20 years.
Chicago Bears: Harlon Hill
The NFL’s most valuable player in 1955, Hill was a bullet on the field, with his intense running and receiving. Twice the winner of the NFL’s receiving touchdown leader recognition.
Buffalo Bills: Andre Reed
The seven-time pro bowler, Andre Reed spent 95% of his career in Buffalo, where he helped the team earn four straight AFC crowns. Great with his feet and his hands, Reed is a hall of famer at his position.
Carolina Panthers: Steve Smith
Steve Smith was at his best with the Panthers, a guy who ran his mouth but backed it up by being the NFL’s receptions co-leader and receiving yards leader in 2005.
Cleveland Browns: Dante Lavelli
The Browns lifer was a three-time NFL champion in 1950, 1954, and 1955. Lavelli once led the league in receptions with 40, he was also a member of the US Army.
Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones
Playing the best years of his career as an Atlanta Falcons, Julio Jones was a 7-time Pro Bowler, and averaged over 1,600 yards per 17 games for the team.
New York Giants: Amani Toomer
Toomer was a long-standing Giants player that helped Eli Manning best the Patriots. 668 career receptions are close to double of any Giants receiver in history.
Washington Commanders: Art Monk
Monk was a huge factor on three Super Bowl winning teams, a franchise player Monk played 14 seasons with the Washington team, and was one of the best during his era.
Denver Broncos: Rod Smith
The two-time Super Bowl winner and 3-time Pro Bowler and 2001 reception leader was one of the best wide receivers in his era. Smith also hit 68 touchdowns in his career.
Houston Texans: Andre Johnson
Making his name in Houston, Johnson would play 11 seasons with the Texans and would have over 1,000 catches and ran over 13,500 yards.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jimmy Smith
Despite winning two Super Bowls with the Cowboys, it was in Jacksonville that Smith showed his talent. Smith made his 5 pro bowl appearances in Jacksonville.
Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald is to many the greatest Cardinal in franchise history, having played for the team from 2004- 2020. Larry Fitzgerald was 11-time Pro Bowler, 2-time receptions leader, and hit 121 receiving touchdowns.
Kansas City Chiefs: Tyreek Hill
The Super Bowl winning WR, Hill is excellent in tight spaces and good for creating great passing lanes. Hill has various records with the Chiefs such as Receptions in a season, Receiving yards in a season, and Touchdown receptions in a season.
Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Mason
Mason was a tough wide receiver, who ran for 3,600 career receiving yards, and for six seasons he had four 1,000-yard seasons. Mason was a two-time Pro Bowler before his time in Charm City.
Dallas Cowboys: Michael Irvin
The three-time Super Bowl winner was also a franchise legend, with 750 receptions and over 11,900 receiving yards. Irvin was also a five-time Pro Bowler on the dominant America’s Team.
Green Bay Packers: Don Hutson
Turning back the clock Huston played in an era that was pre-World War II, winner of 3 NFL Championships, 2 NFL MVPs, and tied as the player with the most points scored in one season, a total of 5.
Miami Dolphins: Mark Clayton
Clayton was a good right hand for Dan Marino, Clayton was a five-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns and went on a run where he found the end zone various times in 17 games in a row.
Indianapolis Colts: Marvin Harrison
Harrison was the right-hand man to Peyton Manning and went on to be an eight-time Pro Bowler. An excellent receiver, Harrison had 101 touchdowns between 1999 and 2006.
Seattle Seahawks: Steve Largent
Largent was the face of the Seahawks in their first 12 years, he would retire as the NFL’s all-time leader in catches and receiving yards in 1989.
Las Vegas Raiders: Fred Biletnikoff
The Super Bowl champion left a huge mark in the NFL from his playing days and later coaching. Biletnikoff was a four-time Pro Bowler, and always came through in the big games.
Los Angeles Rams: Torry Holt
Super Bowl winner, Torry Holt who averaged 1,260 receiving yards per season in a decade in Saint Louis. A master of playing on turf, Holt was one of a kind during his time.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Hines Ward
A hard worker, a bull in the offense, Ward was strong and even near the end of his career was a tough blocker. Ward wasn’t afraid of the big game coming up huge in the playoffs.
Philadelphia Eagles: Harold Carmichael
The 1980 NFL man of the year was a force for the Eagles offense, the four-time pro bowler, could not win a Super Bowl but was one of the best players in his position during his time.
New England Patriots: Julian Edelman
A huge part of the Patriots dynasty, Edelman was one of the few non-Tom Brady Super Bowl MVPs and was quick with his hands and played big roles in big games.
Minnesota Vikings: Randy Moss
Randy Moss is one of the best wide receivers of his generation, leader of the NFL in touchdown catches three times, averaging 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns per season during his first years in the league.
San Francisco 49ers: Jerry Rice
The GOAT end of story, a three-time champion a Super Bowl MVP, no one has been able to touch Rice since and afterward. Rice’s NFL records include:
Most career receptions: 1,549
Most career receiving yards: 22,895
Most career receiving touchdowns: 197
Most career total touchdowns: 208
Most career all-purpose yards: 23,546