This is the list of each NFL team’s all-time receiving leader. Of these 32 players, 24 surpassed 10,000 receiving yards. And of these 32 receivers, four are tight ends. Make no mistake about it, this is an impressive list.
Arizona Cardinals-Larry Fitzgerald 17,492:
Fitzgerald is one of the truly all-time great WRs the game has ever seen. It is a shame his career was mired so often with lousy Cardinal teams.
Atlanta Falcons-Julio Jones 12,896:
Bill Belichick has been in the news a ton lately. Jones is part of an interesting bit of folklore around him. Before he was drafted, it was widely reported that Belichick was asked about Jones, and wasn’t too impressed…maybe that’s why the coach was never great at evaluating WR talent.
Baltimore Ravens-Derrick Mason 5,777:
This is an extremely low number, one of the lowest on this list. Tight End Mark Andrews is sitting at 5,530 yds and will surely surpass Mason…and down the line, WR Zay Flowers will surpass both of them.
Buffalo Bills-Andre Reed 13,095:
Reed, like Fitzgerald, is an all-time great and one of the main reasons the Bills made it to four consecutive Super Bowls.
Carolina Panthers-Steve Smith 12,197:
Smith, like Fitzgerald, was often burdened with lousy Carolina teams. If I were to ask the average football fan how many yards he caught in his career, my bet is that less than half would even be close. Some wouldn’t even remember who he played for.
Chicago Bears-Johnny Morris 5,059:
Morris ranks last on this list. For a team with such a long and storied history, this is unfathomable. Maybe the fact that the Bears never seem to be able to produce a top-tier QB has something to do with it.
Cincinnati Bengals-Chad Johnson 10,783:
Johnson made it to the 10,000-yard plateau, but for all of his greatness, he never lived up to his full potential. He is definitely a tier below some of the all-time greats.
Cleveland Browns-Ozzie Newsome 7,980:
Newsome is one of the TEs on this list. He had a fantastic 13-year career in Cleveland and followed it up with an amazing run as GM with their rival, the Baltimore Ravens. It’s not often someone has two Hall of Fame careers.
Dallas Cowboys-Jason Witten 12,977:
If I were to ask 100 NFL fans who leads the Cowboys in receiving yards, 99 would most likely say Michael Irvin…but Witten actually gained about 1,000 more yards over his career.
Denver Broncos-Rod Smith 11,389:
Smith came on towards the end of John Elway’s career. He helped lead the team to the playoffs seven times out of his 12-year career, winning two Super Bowls.
Detroit Lions-Calvin Johnson 11,619:
Johnson had a relatively short nine-year career, which makes his total yardage even more amazing. It’s a shame that most people only saw him once a year on Thanksgiving, because he was truly special…and he had one of the great nicknames of all time: Megatron.
Green Bay Packers-Donald Driver 10,137:
I’m not the biggest Aaron Rodgers fan, but the fact that Driver is the all-time Packer leading receiver may prove Rodgers’ greatness more than anything else. Nobody would guess Driver, and nobody would realize he had more than 10,000 receiving yards.
Houston Texans-Andre Johnson 13,597:
The “other” Johnson had an amazing career. If I asked 100 NFL fans who had more career yardage between Andre and Calvin, most would say Calvin…I would have, too. But make no mistake about it, this Johnson was equally as great as Megatron.
Indianapolis Colts-Marvin Harrison 14,580:
This is the one WR that 100 out of 100 NFL fans would get right. The Manning/Harrison connection was the dominant tandem for the better part of a decade from 1998 to 2008. And now his legacy lies with his son, Marvin Harrison Jr, who’s a pretty good WR in his own right.
Jacksonville Jaguars-Jimmy Smith 12,287:
Jimmy, along with Steve Smith, fell under the radar in their careers. Each played for second-tier franchises, Jimmy with the Jags, and Steve with the Panthers. It just proves that even the most talented player needs to be in the right situation. No one player can elevate a team, no matter how great they are.
Kansas City Chiefs-Travis Kelce 12,151…and going:
Kelce is one of the greatest TEs of all time. And some have him at the top, surpassing Antonio Gates and Rob Gronkowski.
Las Vegas Raiders-Tim Brown 14,734:
Brown had a great career. In some ways, he was underrated. He always played second fiddle to Jerry Rice, as did every WR during that time, but make no mistake about it, Brown was nearly as dominant. And he didn’t have the like of Joe Montana or Steve Young getting him the ball.
Los Angeles Chargers-Antonio Gates 11,841:
The more time that passes recency bias sets in. Gronkowski and now Kelce are commonly put ahead of Gates on the TE food chain, but Gates was every bit as dominant in his prime.
Los Angeles Rams-Isaac Bruce 14,109:
If there is a Mt. Rushmore of WRs, there is an argument to be made that Bruce belongs on it. He was a fantastic route runner, with great hands and explosive speed.
Miami Dolphins-Mark Duper 8,869:
Super Duper was Dan Marino’s main target in a time when the passing game wasn’t as featured as it is today. His fellow WR Mark Clayton did get many of Marino’s passes as well, or Duper’s numbers would be even greater.
Minnesota Vikings-Cris Carter 12,383:
Carter was amazing, and another receiver who could be considered on Mt Rushmore, but frankly, if Randy Moss played his entire career in Minnesota, he would be in this spot.
New England Patriots-Stanley Morgan 10,352:
Morgan retired 35 years ago. It’s amazing that for a franchise with so much success, and two fantastic QBs: (Drew Bledsoe, and the GOAT, Tom Brady), no WRs since have been able to topple Morgan.
New Orleans Saints-Marques Colston 9,759:
Playing 10 years with prolific QB Drew Brees and offensive-minded HC Sean Payton can inflate a player’s numbers. In a sense, it is amazing that Colston was the No. 1 option for Brees.
New York Giants-Amani Toomer 9,497:
Similar to Colston in many ways, their numbers were nearly identical. He played five of his 13 seasons with Eli Manning, winning a Super Bowl. Colston and Toomer were each nice receivers, but neither ever put fear in opponents’ secondaries.
New York Jets-Don Maynard 11,732:
All you need to know about the Jets franchise is that Maynard retired over 50 years ago, in 1973. The fact that no receiver has been able to overtake him speaks volumes.
Philadelphia Eagles-Harold Carmichael 8,978:
Similar to Maynard, Carmichael retired 42 seasons ago. The team currently has two WRs, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, who could each overtake him. Both have around 4000 yds.
Pittsburgh Steelers-Hines Ward 12,083:
Ward was a sneaky great WR who had potential Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger getting him the ball. He was a tough and gritty WR who was a big game player who shined brighter in the bigger moments. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl Champion, winning a Super Bowl MVP…which is very rare for anyone but a QB.
San Fransisco 49ers-Jerry Rice 19,247:
As is the case with Rice for most things, he is the leader of this list. I can’t say much about Rice that hasn’t been said…there are no more superlatives for him. He is the GOAT of WRs and is in the top-five all-time for all positions.
Seattle Seahawks-Steve Largent 13,089:
Largent was an amazing possession receiver before it was cool. He was a fantastic route runner and had sneaky speed. As was the case, his teams were often bad. The Hall of Famer only made the playoffs in four of his 14-year career with the Seahawks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Mike Evans 12,684…and counting:
Evans is only 31 years old. He’s played 11 seasons with the Buccaneers. He has gained over 1000 receiving yards in each of those 11 seasons. As great as Evans is, he has taken second fiddle to players like Ja’Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill, and Davante Adams. When the smoke clears, Evans may be the best of the bunch of them.
Tennessee Titans-Ernest Givens 7,935:
Givens retired 30 years ago. He had a 10-year career, of which nine of them were with the Houston Oilers. This means that since the team moved to Tennessee in 1997, no WR has been able to surpass Givens’ 7,935 yds.
Washington Commanders– Art Monk 12,026:
Simply put, Monk was the straw that stirred the drink in Washington’s Super Bowl years. He played 14 of his 16 year career with the Redskins, and could be yet another of those WRs on Mt Rushmore.
