The greatest all-time wide receiver for every NFL franchise

All due respect to Aeneas Williams, Fitzgerald is the cornerstone Cardinal from the franchise's Arizona years. He also created a rather large gap between himself and other pass catchers in the team's 100-plus-year history. Sitting second to Jerry Rice in receptions and yards, Fitzgerald became one of the greatest receivers in NFL history during a 17-year Arizona run. He submitted an all-time postseason effort, as his 546 yards and seven touchdowns in 2008 -- work that carried the Cards to the precipice of a Super Bowl XLIII win -- remain records. Extending his prime well into his 30s, 11-time Pro Bowler also sank the Packers by providing every overtime yard in a 2015 wild-card classic.

Another no-doubter, Jones needed some time to emerge in the clear after Roddy White's strong career. But White's younger running mate surpassed him not too long after the 2004 first-rounder's retirement. Atlanta parted with a haul to climb from  No. 23 to No. 6 for Jones in 2011 , and he teamed with White and Tony Gonzalez to form a lethal trio for three seasons. Following Gonzalez and White's exits, Jones still did plenty to power the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. Jones twice led the NFL in receiving and posted 100 yards per game in five campaigns. His 9,388 yards from 2014-19 are by far the most in a six-year span, distinguishing Jones' dominant prime.

A franchise known more for defense since its 1996 relocation/rebirth (as Browns 2.0 still carries the former Cleveland franchise's history), the Ravens do not boast a rich history at the receiver position. Only eight wideouts have cleared 1,000 yards in a season as Ravens; Mason did so four times. Baltimore scooped up Mason after Tennessee made him a 2005 cap casualty ; as it turned out, the then-31-year-old had plenty more to give. Mason teamed with ex-Titan QB Steve McNair to boost Baltimore to a 13-3 2006 slate and was productive into his mid-30s to help Joe Flacco assimilate, becoming one of the better post-30 receivers in NFL history.

Teaming with Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas to drive the Bills' K-Gun attack, Reed played a central role in helping his USFL import quarterback to Canton. The run-after-catch maestro helped elevate Buffalo's fast-paced offense to the NFL's summit, becoming one of the most consistent options during a strong period at the receiver position. Not quite a Jerry Rice rival, Reed held his own against other contemporaries with four 1,000-yard seasons and seven straight Pro Bowl years. Reed added nine playoff touchdowns, three coming in the Bills' stupefying 32-point rally to stun the Oilers (sans Kelly and largely Thomas) to chart a roadmap to a third straight Super Bowl.

Knocking at the Hall of Fame door, Smith defied odds to become a dominant force at 5-foot-9. Playing in an era in which Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison snatched up All-Pro honors, Smith still crept in for two such accolades and zoomed to seven 1,000-yard seasons -- including one with the Ravens at age 35 -- and nearly dragged an otherwise limited Panthers offense to Super Bowl XL. Smith claimed a pass-catching triple crown in 2005 and punctuated it with one of the great receiving performances in playoff history -- a 12-catch, 218-yard, two-TD masterpiece in Chicago -- and stayed productive into his late 30s during a 16-year run.

It illustrates both a virtuoso first three seasons for Hill and a mostly unremarkable ensuing seven decades for Bears passing attacks that the ex-Division II icon is the pick here. But the Chicago deep threat delivered ahead-of-his-time work upon entering the NFL in the mid-1950s. The 15th-round pick shredded defenses for 30 receiving TDs from 1954-56, delivering two 1,000-yard seasons (featuring 24- and 25-yard averages per catch) and helping the Bears to the 1956 NFL championship game. Hill, who battled injuries later in his career, also submitted his generation's representative for greatest NFL catch in a 1956 title-game preview against the Giants.

A midcareer CFL exit led to Speedie waiting decades to be enshrined in Canton, but the Otto Graham target was deserving due to his early Cleveland work. Speedie twice led the All-American Football Conference in receiving, eclipsing 1,000 yards in 1947 and '49 to spearhead Paul Brown's cutting-edge passing attack. He proved adept when the competition increased later, leading the NFL -- in his final season in the sport's top league -- with 62 receptions to help the Browns to their third straight NFL title game. Speedie averaged 13 more yards per game (65.1) than teammate Dante Lavelli, though the latter stuck around longer (11 seasons to Speedie's seven).

Ja'Marr Chase will end up with this unofficial crown soon, but Curtis outshined an unspectacular stat sheet as an elite talent in his era. Dropped into one of the NFL's dead-ball periods, playing five seasons before 1978 rule changes unshackled the passing game, Curtis brought supreme speed to force defenses into methods he helped deem illegal. Before full-on rule changes in the late '70s, the NFL implemented the "Isaac Curtis rule" aimed at preventing downfield contact. Curtis' four Pro Bowls came in his first four seasons, but he stuck around for 12, remaining a productive performer by the time the Bengals assembled their 1981 Super Bowl team.

This space typically shies away from hot takes, but this really should not shock. Hayes brought blinding speed to the NFL upon arriving after his 100-meter gold-medal win at the 1964 Olympics. Adjusted for era, he is the fastest player in NFL history. The dimension-altering deep threat finished with more career touchdowns (71) than Michael Irvin (65), despite playing in a far worse era for aerial volume. Hayes' best work came with Don Meredith at the helm, but he remained a vital cog by the time Roger Staubach piloted Dallas to a Super Bowl VI rout. Hayes posted four 900-plus-yard seasons and five double-digit TD years; he led the NFL in yards per catch in 1970 (26.1) and '71 (24.0). 

One of the position's best long-odds stories, Smith joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Missouri Southern. The Broncos had added Anthony Miller and Mike Pritchard as 1994 free agents, but both were gone by the team's first Super Bowl season three years later. Smith proved too good to keep out of the lineup, eventually positioning Mike Shanahan's come-with-guy Ed McCaffrey as a No. 2 wideout. Smith posted eight 1,000-yard seasons, earning two second-team All-Pro nods, and was both John Elway and Jake Plummer's top target, earning his final Pro Bowl accolade at age 35 to help the 2005 Broncos to the AFC championship game.

As Matt Millen kept missing on first-round wide receivers, the embattled GM finally found a keeper in Johnson. Megatron arrived in Detroit after the team's Charles Rogers, Roy Williams and Mike Williams early-2000s trifecta. Arguably the toughest coverage matchup in NFL history due to his unparalleled size-speed combination, Johnson gave Matthew Stafford opportunities no other QB enjoyed during this period. The Lions did not win a playoff game during Megatron's career, but he helped elevate them from a laughingstock. The first-ballot Hall of Famer's 1,964-yard 2012 still stands as the single-season record.

Playing in an era in which ends -- the "wide receiver" term owes plenty to Hutson -- largely blocked and were asked to log time on defense, the Packers pick here nevertheless moved the passing game forward. Hutson played 11 seasons, led the NFL in receiving seven times and retired with 99 touchdown receptions. For perspective, following Hutson's final season (1945), no one else had 40 career TD grabs. No receiver has been as dominant since, as Hutson was an 11-time All-Pro (eight first-team honors). When he reached 1,211 yards (in a World War II-depleted NFL) in 1942, no one else in the league's first 23 seasons had accumulated 710 in a season.

The Texans' expansion season featured David Carr absorbing an NFL-record 76 sacks, and while the team stayed out of the No. 1 draft slot with four wins, its No. 3 selection brought in a long-term weapon. Operating as the lead wideout for some of the most talented teams in college football history, the Miami cog presented one of the most physically imposing matchups as a pro. Johnson eclipsed 1,550 yards in three separate seasons, doing so without the luxury of an upper-crust QB targeting him. The Carr and Matt Schaub target was still in his prime to boost Houston to its first playoff berth (2011), and the Hall of Famer still topped 1,400 yards on a 2-14 team (2013) at 33.

Arguments for Raymond Berry make sense, as he is also one of the game's all-time greats. But Harrison's consistency wins out. By the time Peyton Manning's second-year breakout occurred, his top receiver was already 27. The 1996 first-rounder, however, delivered probably the most consistent extended stretch of work outside of Jerry Rice over the next eight seasons. Harrison eclipsed 1,100 receiving yards and caught at least 10 TD passes each year from 1999-2006, during the Colts' Super Bowl XLI-winning campaign. While Manning's presence obviously boosted Harrison, the Syracuse alum (128 TDs) remains one of the greatest route runners in NFL annals.

Joining Rod Smith as a mid-1990s out-of-nowhere discovery , Jimmy Smith at least brought a draft pedigree. But the Cowboys, who chose Jimmy Smith in the 1992 second round, gave up on him due to early-career injury trouble. That proved a mistake, as the would-be Michael Irvin sidekick became an impact player quickly in Jacksonville. The top Mark Brunell weapon accelerated the Jaguars' early climb, occupying a starring role for teams that journeyed to the playoffs each year from 1996-99. Smith, who missed the 1993 and '94 seasons, played until 2005 and was still a 1,000-yard performer in his age-36 finale in Jacksonville. 

Other factors have contributed to Patrick Mahomes' statistical step backward, but losing an all-time speed merchant has done plenty to reshape the megastar's fantasy outlook. Hill obviously brought off-field baggage, with an ugly college incident giving the Chiefs a fifth-round discount, but he managed to stay available as a pro. Mahomes' first season featured an ascending WR1, and Hill contributed two of his four first-team All-Pro WR seasons in Kansas City. He formed a historically elite inside-outside tandem with Travis Kelce, as the Chiefs became one of the most difficult offenses to stop for years before a negotiating breakdown keyed a 2022 trade.

Brown wins out over Fred Biletnikoff in terms of QB stability, air support and degree of difficulty. Whereas the Ken Stabler weapon used Stickum before the NFL banned the product, Brown crafted an airtight Hall of Fame case while largely gloveless. All due respect to world-class speedster James Jett, Cliff Branch was a better complementary piece. And most of Brown's prime occurred without All-Pro-caliber QBs. The Raiders bizarrely kept Brown in the garage during his first four seasons, but the 1987 Heisman winner proved that a poor strategy by ripping off nine straight 1,000-yard years from 1993-2001. "Mr. Raider" was as reliable as it got, making a big impact for a Super Bowl team in his 15th season.

Bruce's best season does not compare to Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch's record-setting 1951 -- a 1,495-yard year featuring 17 TD grabs -- but his career tops the 1950s Rams' Hall of Fame duo. Decades after Hirsch and Fears scorched defenses, Bruce arrived and toiled for a downtrodden team. Joining the Rams shortly after Henry Ellard's exit, Bruce delivered a 1,781-yard sophomore season (1995) and was ready to roll when Kurt Warner's unexpected chance came four years later. Bruce was instrumental in the "Greatest Show on Turf" taking flight, and his game-winning Super Bowl grab provided a signature highlight during a career featuring eight 1,000-yard seasons.

Even had John Jefferson not been traded in 1981, the soaring talent would have had a tough time eclipsing Alworth. The John Hadl target helped the Chargers to their only championship, a 1963 demolition of the Patriots. Alworth keyed the Sid Gillman-orchestrated attack in the 1960s, totaling 1,205 yards in that championship season and ripping off a seven-season string of 1,000-yard years. In nine years with the Bolts, Alworth landed on seven All-AFL teams and caught 81 TD passes. "Bambi" cruised to first-ballot Hall of Fame status, dominating as a deep presence and collecting a Super Bowl ring as a late-career Cowboy.

Warfield's stats do not match those of the Marks Brothers or Tyreek Hill, but he played in a low-octane passing era and starred for Dolphins teams featuring a ruthlessly efficient rushing attack. Acquired in 1970, Warfield made a tremendous impact for Don Shula's team. The Dolphins rocketed to a playoff team in Warfield's first season and ventured to Super Bowls in the three years after it. The ex-Browns standout remains one of the most graceful receivers in history, and four of his five Dolphins seasons brought yards-per-catch figures of at least 19.9. The Hall of Famer's 304 receiving yards in the 1971 playoffs were vital to Miami booking its first Super Bowl berth. 

This boils down to eight Moss seasons (plus that strange 2010 return) to 11 Cris Carter campaigns. While Carter's prime continued into Moss' career, the latter may still be the most talented receiver in NFL history. Plateauing by 1997, the Vikings immediately found another gear when Moss arrived in the '98 first round. After stopping the Marshall phenom's draft fall, Minnesota went 15-1 and set the single-season scoring record. Moss' 1998 stands alone among rookie WR seasons, and he started his career with six straight 1,200-yard slates. Scoring 90 TDs during his first Vikes stint, Moss became the scariest coverage assignment in modern NFL history. 

Stanley Morgan certainly outdid Welker for Patriot longevity (14 years to six), and Julian Edelman delivered big moments without many accolades. Welker built himself into a slot sensation, moving the position forward to help the likes of Edelman succeed. Initially a Randy Moss sidekick, Welker shone upon being traded from Miami in 2007. He was a four-time All-Pro with New England, including two first-team honors, while leading the NFL in receptions thrice during this decorated tenure. Welker posted 1,165 yards to help a Matt Cassel-quarterbacked offense to an 11-5 season and powered a Super Bowl-bound Patriot team with 1,569 yards three years later.

Colston joins Edelman in never being named to a Pro Bowl, but the New Orleans consistency modicum proved crucial in igniting Sean Payton's offenses. Despite arriving near the end of the 2006 draft , the Hofstra product became Payton's lead target almost immediately. Operating often as a big slot-type presence, Colston rarely dazzled on offenses featuring Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham. He was the constant, however, churning out six 1,000-yard seasons from 2006-12. Had Michael Thomas stayed healthy a bit longer, he would have been the choice. But Payton's Colston successor could not deliver the reliability the Super Bowl champion did. 

Reminding closely of this space's Saints choice, Toomer's duration and importance outflank past and future Giants with higher peaks. Del Shofner did much of his work with the Rams, while Odell Beckham Jr. -- the most talented receiver in Giants history -- was gone by Year 6. OBJ's injury trouble hurt him here, and Toomer's importance to a Super Bowl champion at 33 pushes his case past the goal line. The 13-year Giant served as Kerry Collins' top target and mostly as Eli Manning's WR2 alongside Plaxico Burress. But the five-time 1,000-yard performer was still ready when called upon late in his career, totaling 280 yards and three TDs during the Giants' storied 2007 playoff run.

No Jet has seriously threatened Maynard's place atop their receiver list. The Joe Namath weapon is the team's only Hall of Fame wideout, and he was there for the best period in franchise history. Maynard led the AFL in receiving (1,434 yards) during Namath's most prolific season (1967) and nearly reached 1,300 yards as the Jets made their run to Super Bowl III the following year. Teaming with standout George Sauer on those Jet teams, Maynard was a four-time 1,000-yard player -- his first in the Jets/Titans' inaugural 1960 season -- and thrice averaged more than 20 yards per catch. His most important reception sent the Jets to their fateful Colts encounter.

Higher peaks emerged at this position in Eagles history, but it is tough to beat a 14-year performer who ended up in the Hall of Fame. Carmichael's 6-foot-8 frame stood out immediately, but the lanky WR's game also featured fluidity. Entering the league in 1971, Carmichael spent much of his prime constrained by the NFL's defense-friendly rulebook of the era. He still led the NFL with 1,116 yards in 1973, helping trade pickup Roman Gabriel to the Pro Bowl, and was named to the All-Decade team. The Eagles had Carmichael in place as their No. 1 wideout by their Super Bowl XV season, and he delivered a third 1,000-yard showing at age 32 a year later. 

Brown will one day join Lynn Swann and John Stallworth in the Hall of Fame; his late-career antics may prevent that from happening on the first ballot. But in an era featuring mega-talents, Brown may have been the best. From 2014-17, Brown camped on the All-Pro first team. Ben Roethlisberger's Hall of Fame path owes plenty to the mercurial WR1, as the future Hall of Famer's pre-AB stats are quite different compared to the "Killer B's" era. The former sixth-round pick's prime was not as long as some peers', and a self-destruction that marred a 15-TD 2018 season led to a high-profile downfall. For a while, though, no one was better. 

Super Bowl wins can give Tom Brady a claim as the greatest player ever; his resume otherwise does not match Rice's. Despite playing in an era featuring lower passing volume (and less friendly rulebooks) compared to those future stars enjoyed, Rice set records that will be incredibly difficult to break. Before posting his 14th (?!) 1,000-yard season at 40 in Oakland, Rice submitted one-of-one work in San Francisco. The 20-year vet will almost definitely not see his prime surpassed, having ripped off 10 first-team All-Pro seasons in an 11-year span. Only Don Hutson's dominance rivals it, and Rice -- rather good in the playoffs too -- obviously thrived in a more competitive era. 

The Oilers' Run and Shoot corps may not have formed fully had the team not traded Largent months into his rookie year. Houston unloaded the eighth-round pick to Seattle in August 1976; the expansion franchise turned him loose. The master craftsman shined for 14 seasons as a Seahawk, becoming certainly the greatest player in the team's AFC history. Largent retired with NFL records in receiving yardage and TDs, earning five All-Pro honors. Although the Seahawks changed QBs (from Jim Zorn to Dave Krieg) midway through their WR1's career, Largent drove the bus in the team's first four playoff berths. 

Evans has lapped the field in Tampa. Although Chris Godwin continues to find ways to earn more money, no doubt has existed about the Buccaneers' WR hierarchy since that duo formed in 2017. Evans enters the 2025 season leading the Bucs in career receiving yards -- by more than 5,000. The 2014 top-10 pick's claim to NFL fame is his 11-season 1,000-yard streak to start his career. No one else comes close in terms of 1,000-yard runs to open a career. Yes, Evans is a compiler who gives "Frank Gore of WRs" vibes as a Hall of Fame candidate (no first-team All-Pro nods). But the ruthlessly consistent target helped draw Tom Brady to Tampa and aided the Bucs to their second title

All due respect to Ken Burrough, Warren Moon's crew and any Titan, it took until Jerry Rice's 11th season for a Hennigan record to fall. Hennigan's career did not deliver the length Burrough or Ernest Givins provided in Houston, but the George Blanda target posted astonishing numbers during his short prime. Despite going undrafted, Hennigan anchored a loaded skill-position corps en route to back-to-back Oiler titles (1961-62). He dropped two 1,500-yard seasons; no one else matched that until Rice's second such season (1990). It took the GOAT until 1995 to topple Hennigan's 1,746-yard masterclass, which drove Blanda to MVP honors in 1961.

Part of two receiver cadres with memorable nicknames, Monk played 16 seasons. The first 14 of those came in Washington, and by the time the 1980 first-rounder was done, he held the NFL career reception record. The early-career "Fun Bunch" anchor, who towered over his castmates, collected three Super Bowl rings and did consistent damage despite Washington cycling through QBs following Joe Theismann's injury. Later teaming with Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders to form "The Posse," Monk remained reliable. He tallied his final 1,000-yard season at 34, helping a 14-2 Washington team become one of the best in NFL history.