National Football League

The Daily Ranker: Top 10 seasons by an NFL wide receiver

Published Dec. 12, 2024 12:50 p.m. ET

FOX Sports Research

We sought to rank the 10 best seasons ever produced by an NFL wide receiver, which is no easy task considering all the variables — including vastly different eras — in play.

We looked at total yards, receptions, touchdowns, individual honors and other factors as well in coming up with our list.

Check out the list!

1. 2021 Cooper Kupp (LAR)
145 rec, 1,947 rec yards, 16 TDs

Achievements in 2021: Super Bowl MVP, AP OPOY, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receptions, led NFL in receiving yards, led NFL in receiving TDs, led NFL in receiving yards per game

Why this season is the greatest

Kupp delivered all season, culminating in a Super Bowl win and Super Bowl MVP. He was the second player ever to surpass 1,900 receiving yards and is one of only three players to have more than 1,500 receiving yards and more than 15 receiving TDs in a single year, joining Randy Moss in 2003 and Calvin Johnson in 2011.

Stat to know

Cooper Kupp was the first Rams receiver since Elroy Hirsch in 1951 to total at least 15 receiving touchdowns. His 145 receptions were also 26 more than the previous Rams single-season record.

2. 1995 Jerry Rice (SF)
122 rec, 1,848 rec yards, 15 TDs

Achievements in 1995: 2nd in MVP, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receiving yards, led NFL in receiving yards per game

Why this season is great

In 1995, Jerry Rice dominated, leading the NFL in receiving yards and coming up just short in the MVP race. He became the first player ever to total at least 1,800 receiving yards and 15 or more receiving TDs, later also done by Cooper Kupp in 2021. He was also the first player ever to crack 120 receptions in a single season.

Stat to know

Jerry Rice had five receptions of 50 yards or longer in 1995, making him, at the time, the first player in NFL history to post 120 catches with five going 50-plus yards in a single season.

3. 2007 Randy Moss (NE)
98 rec, 1,493 rec yards, 23 TDs

Achievements in 2007: Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receiving TDs

Why this season is great

He played for the greatest offense, on an undefeated regular-season team, and produced the most receiving touchdowns in a single season in NFL history. He was truly unstoppable. His quarterback, Tom Brady, also became the first player to toss 50 touchdowns in a season, so nearly half of Brady's record-setting TD passes were to Moss.

Stat to know

In 2007, Randy Moss became, and still is, the only player to have 1,100 receiving yards and 20 or more receiving touchdowns.

4. 2012 Calvin Johnson (DET)
122 rec, 1,964 rec yards, 5 TDs

Achievements in 2012: Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receptions, led NFL in receiving yards, led NFL receiving yards per game

Why this season is great

Despite the league adding another game since Johnson pulled this off, not to mention it being more than 10 years later and with the most passer-friendly rules in the NFL, Johnson's single-season mark of 1,964 receiving yards is still the gold standard. Only Kupp has reached the 1,900-yard mark since then.

Stat to know

Johnson is the only player in NFL history to have 100 receptions and a yards-per-reception number above 16 (16.1) in a single season.

5. 1942 Don Hutson (GB)
74 rec, 1,211 rec yards, 17 TDs

Achievements in 1942: Joe Carr Trophy (MVP), Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receptions, led NFL in receiving yards, led NFL in receiving TDs, led NFL in receiving yards per game.

Why this season is great

This is not well-known, but Hutson's 17 receiving touchdowns are sixth-most in an NFL season despite the fact he played just 11 games. That means he averaged more than one TD per game. How is that for efficient?

Stat to know

Hutson was the preeminent receiver before anyone knew about the passing game. He was the NFL's first receiver to crack the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.

6. 1987 Jerry Rice (SF)
65 rec, 1,078 rec yards, 22 TDs

Achievements in 1987: 2nd in MVP, NFL Player of the Year, NFL AP OPOY, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receiving TDs, led NFL in receiving yards per game, led NFL in points scored

Why this season is great

Rice's dominance knows no bounds. His 22 touchdowns are the second-most in a single year, but came in just 12 games! Later eclipsed by Randy Moss, who had 23 in 2007, Rice played in 33% fewer games than Moss and came up just one TD short. Throw in the fact he led the league in receiving TDs and receiving yards per game, and it was a banner year for Jerry Rice.

Stat to know

Jerry Rice is the only player in the last 60 years to have more than 15 receiving TDs on 65 or fewer receptions. All-time, he joins Cloyce Box (1952), Sonny Randle (1960) and Bill Groman (1961), as the only players to do so.

7. 2015 Antonio Brown (PIT)
136 rec, 1,834 rec yards, 10 TDs

Achievements in 2015: Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receptions, led NFL in all-purpose yards

Why this season is great

Brown is one of just two players all-time to have at least 135 receptions, 1,800 receiving yards and 10 receiving TDs in a season (joining Cooper Kupp in 2021). Moreover, in Week 15 against Denver, Brown became the ninth player ever to have 15 catches, 175 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Stat to know

2015 was the middle of a stretch where Antonio Brown posted six straight seasons of 100 or more receptions, the only player to do so in NFL history.

8. 2015 Julio Jones (ATL)
136 rec, 1,871 rec yards, 8 TDs

Achievements in 2015: Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receptions, led NFL in receiving yards, led NFL in receiving yards per game

Why this season is great

Jones' season is still 21 more catches than the second-most in Falcons history. It's also more than 500 receiving yards more than the second-most in team history. On top of that, he is just the third receiver all-time to accumulate at least 1,850 receiving yards in a season.

Stat to know

Julio Jones is the only former Alabama WR to crack 1,500 receiving yards in a season, doing so three times in his career, with his career high in 2015.

9. 2019 Michael Thomas (NO)
149 rec, 1,725 rec yards, 9 TDs

Achievements in 2019: NFL AP OPOY, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, led NFL in receptions, led NFL in receiving yards, led NFL in receiving yards per game

Why this season is great

In 2019, Thomas set the NFL's record with 149 receptions, including 91 one of them going for a first down. The next most first-down receptions came from Julio Jones, who had 14 fewer than Thomas. Moreover, he was the league leader in receiving yards and receiving yards per game.

Stat to know

Michael Thomas had nine games with 10-plus receptions in 2019, the most such games in a single season in NFL history.

10. 1984 Mark Clayton (MIA)
73 rec, 1,389 rec yards, 18 TDs

Achievements in 1984: Pro Bowl, led NFL in receiving TDs, led NFL in total touchdowns

Why this season is great

Clayton put up 18 TDs in just 15 games and had at least one receiving TD in 13 of his 15 games during the season. He averaged a staggering 19 yards per reception as well, dominating all over the field. The next closest player to have an average that high and at least 18 receiving touchdowns is Jerry Rice in 1987 at 16.6.

Stat to know

Later matched by Jerry Rice (1989), Carl Pickens (1995) and Randy Moss (2007), Mark Clayton was the first player in NFL history to snag at least one TD in 13 or more games in a single season.