The Best Wide Receivers of All Time
The best wide receivers of all time are a group of elite athletes inclusive of some of the best athletes of all time. The greatest wide receivers are the ones that make amazing plays every game while simultaneously making the little plays that move the ball down the field. These are the top wide receivers ever to play the game of football.
These elite football players are members of pro-bowl squads, Super Bowl winners, and all-around all-star football players. Some, like WR Jerry Rice, became the stuff of football legend while they were still playing, while others like Wes Welker are just making their marks as the go-to wide receivers on franchise teams. Most of the top wide receivers in the NFL are on this list, and whether they are the best wide receivers currently in the NFL or the best wide receivers in the history of the NFL, they all have a fighting chance to land at #1 on the list of the best wide receivers ever.
Who are the best wide receivers of all time? What are the qualities of the top wide receivers? Who is the greatest wide receiver ever? These are some of the questions this list looks to tackle with its compilation of the best wide receivers of all time. There are scores of famous wide receivers in the history of the NFL, so if you don't see your favorite wide receiver on the list, make sure to add him so other users can vote for him to move up this list of the greatest wide receivers of all time.
If you want a little more football after checking out this list of the best wide receivers in NFL history, check out the best touchdown celebrations of all time to see some of these guys in endzone action.
- Jerry Lee Rice Sr. (born October 13, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Due to his numerous ...more
- Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is a television sports analyst and former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He holds the NFL ...more
- DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Texans in the first round of the ...more
- Calvin Johnson Jr. (born September 29, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. A two-time All-American at Georgia Tech, Johnson was selected second overall by the Detroit Lions of the ...more
- Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. (born August 31, 1983) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh, ...more
- Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones (; born February 8, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, ...more
- Graduel Christopher Darin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is a former American football player in the National Football League. He was a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–89), the ...more
- Marvin Darnell Harrison (born August 25, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Syracuse University, and was drafted ...more
- Stevonne Latrall Smith Sr. (born May 12, 1979) is a former American football wide receiver who played 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played ...more
- Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who spent his entire 14-year career with the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the University of ...more
- Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is a retired American football player, actor, and sports commentator. Irvin played college football at the University of Miami, then for the Dallas Cowboys ...more
- Sterling Sharpe (born April 6, 1965) is an American former American Football wide receiver and analyst for the NFL Network. He attended the University of South Carolina, and played from 1988 to 1994 ...more
- Stephen Michael Largent (born September 28, 1954) is an American former football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former Republican politician, having served in the U.S. ...more
- Terrell Eldorado Owens (born December 7, 1973), popularly known by his initials, T.O., is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A ...more
- Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college ...more
- Timothy Donell Brown (born July 22, 1966) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Notre Dame, where ...more
- Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School, where he ...more
- Andre Lamont Johnson (born July 11, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver who played the majority of his 14-year career with the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He's ...more
- Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills ...more
- Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and ...more
- Frederick S. Biletnikoff (born February 23, 1943) is a former gridiron football player and coach. He was a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League (AFL) and National ...more
- 22James Arthur Monk (born December 5, 1957) is an American former football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Monk ...more
- Johnny Lee Stallworth (born July 15, 1952) is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is considered to be ...more
- Torry Jabar Holt (born June 5, 1976) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He was named to the Pro Bowl ...more
- Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997) was a professional American football player and assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end and spent ...more
