Who Has the Most Receiving Yards in NFL History?

NFL history is filled with great receivers, but only a few have truly dominated the position. Here are the players with the most receiving yards in NFL history.

Jerry Rice

Jerry Rice is the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 22,895 yards. He played in the NFL for 20 seasons and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rice is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.

19 seasons

Jerry Rice is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and among the greatest players of all time. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers, including receptions, touchdown receptions, and receiving yards. In Rice’s 20 NFL seasons, he had 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns, with a career average of 14.8 yards per reception.

Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986–1996, 1998–2000), was an All-Pro 11 times (1986–1996), and holds numerous all-time NFL receiving records. He won three Super Bowl rings playing for the San Francisco 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders. As of 2020, Rice holds over 100 NFL receiving records.

22,895 yards

Jerry Rice is a former American football wide receiver who played his entire 20-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and among the greatest players of all time. During his career, he was selected to play in 13 Pro Bowls, and named All-Pro 12 times. He won three Super Bowl rings playing for the San Francisco 49ers, and was a member of the 500 reception club. Rice holds nearly every significant receiving record, including most receptions, most receiving yards and most touchdowns; he is the only player in NFL history to have more than 1,000 receptions. He is ranked first in NFL history with 22,895 receiving yards, 200 more than second place Tony Gonzales.

Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson has the most receiving yards in NFL history. In his career, he has amassed 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns. He is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2012.

9 seasons

Johnson played nine seasons for the Lions, amassing 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns in 143 games. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time first-team All-Pro. He also set an NFL record for most receiving yards in a single season, with 1,964 yards in 2012.

11,619 yards

As of the 2019 NFL season, Calvin Johnson holds the record for the most receiving yards in a single season with 1,964 yards, which he set in 2012. He is also second in career receiving yards with 11,619 yards, behind only Jerry Rice.

Randy Moss

Randy Moss is a former American football wide receiver who played for fourteen seasons in the National Football League. He holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007), the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie (17 in 1998), and is second on the NFL all-time regular season touchdown reception list behind Jerry Rice.

14 seasons

Randy Moss is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007), the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie (17 in 1998), and is second on the NFL all-time regular season touchdown reception list with 156.

Moss played college football for Marshall University, and twice earned All-American honors. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings 21st overall in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Moss set a league record for most touchdown receptions by a rookie, and helped lead the Vikings to an NFC Championship appearance.

He was traded to the Oakland Raiders where he played 2 seasons before returning to the Vikings. After a one-year stint with the New England Patriots, he rejoined Minnesota before finishing his career with short stays with the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers. Throughout his career, Moss was considered one of the most controversial, polarizing, and dominant wide receivers in NFL history.

15,292 yards

Randy Moss is a former professional football player who is widely considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. He played for various teams throughout his career in the National Football League (NFL), including the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers. His career total of 15,292 receiving yards is the second-most in NFL history, behind only Jerry Rice.

Moss was originally drafted by the Vikings in 1998 and went on to have a record-setting rookie season. He was selected for the Pro Bowl six times during his time with the Vikings and was named a First-team All-Pro four times. He helped lead the team to an NFC Championship appearance in 2000. After being traded to the Raiders, he had a brief but successful stint there before being released due to off-field issues.

Moss signed with the Patriots in 2007 and had arguably his best season as a pro, helping the team go undefeated in the regular season and win Super Bowl XLII. He then spent three seasons with the 49ers before returning to Minnesota for his final season in 2012. Upon retirement, he held several NFL records and was inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.

Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens holds the record for the most receiving yards in NFL history. He played for several teams throughout his career, but he is most well-known for his time with the San Francisco 49ers. Owens had a total of 15,934 receiving yards over the course of his career.

16 seasons

Owens played for sixteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens holds or shares several NFL receiving records. His 15,934 career receiving yards rank second in NFL history, while his 153 receiving touchdowns rank third. As of 2019, he ranks first all-time in career average receiving yards per game (89.8), second in career average receptions per game (5.3), and eighth in career average touchdowns per game (0.48).

15,934 yards

In his 15-year career, Terrell Owens caught 1,078 passes for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns. He ranks second in NFL history in receiving yards and third in touchdown catches. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens had nine seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards. He also was named to the All-Pro team five times.

Julio Jones

As of September 2020, Julio Jones is the NFL leader in receiving yards with 11,858. He is followed by Larry Fitzgerald with 11,367 and Andre Johnson with 11,352.

8 seasons

Julio Jones has had an incredible career thus far, racking up over 10,000 receiving yards in just 8 seasons. That’s the 4th most in NFL history, behind only Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens. He’s also 6th all time in receptions, and his 134 catches in 2018 was the 2nd most ever in a single season.

10,731 yards

In his nine seasons in the NFL, Julio Jones has amassed 10,731 yards, which is the eighth-most in history. He’s averaged 1,264 yards per season and has had four seasons with over 1,400 yards.

Jones is one of only eight players in NFL history to have over 10,000 receiving yards and he trails only Jerry Rice (22,895), Randy Moss (15,292), Terrell Owens (15,127), Calvin Johnson (11,619), Isaac Bruce (11,513), Larry Fitzgerald (11,367), and Andre Johnson (11,254) on the all-time list. Of those seven players ahead of him on the list, only Fitzgerald is still active.

Jones has been selected for six Pro Bowls and was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2015. He is currently signed with the Atlanta Falcons through 2020.