Who Is The Best Wide Receiver In NFL History?

Many people have argued that Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver in NFL history.
Others say it’s Randy Moss.

But who is the real best wide receiver in NFL history?

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the stats and try to answer this question once and for all.

Jerry Rice

When it comes to wide receivers, Jerry Rice is in a league of his own. He is the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pro 12 times, and he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year three times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Hall of Fame wide receiver

Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, and often called the greatest player in NFL history. He is currently second on the NFL’s all-time receiving yardage list (behind tight end Tony Gonzalez), and third on the league’s all-time receiving touchdowns list.

20 NFL records

In his 20 NFL seasons, Jerry Rice became the most prolific receiver in NFL history. He owns almost every significant receiving record, including most catches in a career (1,549), most receiving yards in a career (22,895), and most touchdowns receiving (197). He was unanimously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2010.

3-time Super Bowl champion

Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played his entire 20-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He is considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions. He won three Super Bowl rings playing for the San Francisco 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders. As of 2019, he holds over 100 NFL records.

Randy Moss

Randy Moss is a former American football wide receiver who played for fifteen 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.

6-time Pro Bowl wide receiver

Randy Moss is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons. 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. He is also tied with Jerry Rice for the most Seasons with 10 or more touchdown receptions, with 10.

Moss played college football for Marshall University, and twice earned All-American honors. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, where he played for seven years before a trade in 2005 brought him to the Oakland Raiders. On April 29, 2007, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for draft picks. In his first season with New England, he caught an NFL record 23 touchdown passes as part of a then-record setting 27 touchdowns caught by Patriots receivers; he was named First-team All-Pro and unanimous AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year by leading New England to a perfect 16–0 regular season record. On October 6, 2010, Moss returned to Minnesota in a trade that sent linebacker Napoleon Harris and a third round pick to New England. In 2012, he played for San Francisco 49ers Moss announced his retirement on August 1, 2012.

During his NFL career, Moss was selected to six Pro Bowls and named a First-team All-Pro four times. His 143 receiving touchdowns ranks second all time in league history behind Jerry Rice’s 208 total receiving touchdowns; while his 15 touchdown receptions in 2007 are tied for second place behind Jerry Rice’s 22 touchdown receptions during the 1987 regular season. In 2010, he ranked number 23 on Sporting News’ list of 100 Greatest Football Players

5-time All-Pro

Moss is a five-time All-Pro and holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007), as well as the most touchdown receptions in a player’s first six seasons (69). He is second on the NFL’s all-time regular season touchdown reception list with 156. In addition, he holds the single season record for most touchdown receptions in a player’s first season (17 in 1998) and is third on the list for most touchdown receptions in a player’s second season (15 in 1999).

2-time Super Bowl champion

Randy Moss is a former American football wide receiver who played for fourteen 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-America honors. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, where he played for seven years before a trade in 2005 brought him to the Oakland Raiders. On April 29, 2007, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick. In his first season with New England, Moss caught an NFL record 23 touchdown passes, and helped lead the Patriots to a perfect 16–0 regular season record.

In 2010, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where he played two seasons before signing with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2012, Moss announced his retirement from professional football, but returned one year later to play with the Seattle Seahawks. He played his final season in 2018 with The Alliance of American Football’s San Antonio Commanders before leaving football again. Among receivers, Moss currently ranks second all time in average yards per game (95.1), fourth all time in regular season touchdowns (156), tied for fourth all time in overall touchdowns scored (158), and fifth all time in receiving yards (15292).

Terrell Owens

In his 15-year career, Terrell Owens proved time and time again that he was one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. He was a 6-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First-team All-Pro, and holds the record for the most receiving touchdowns in a season.

6-time Pro Bowl wide receiver

Terrell Owens, nicknamed “T.O.”, is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens holds or shares several NFL records. His 15,934 career receiving yards rank second in NFL history and his 153 receiving touchdowns rank third. As productive as he has been, Owens has been equally controversial, creating conflict with teammates and coaches over the years.

Owens was born to L.C. Russell and Marilyn Heard in Alexander City, Alabama. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother after his parents divorced when he was three. Owens developed a close bond with his stepfather, Harry Lester, during the times his mother was working. In school, Owens was a rebellious student but displayed athletic prowess early on; he was a star running back and linebacker in football as well as a high jumper on the Alexander City Middle School track team.

Owens caught 66 passes for 1,136 yards and 14 touchdowns during his senior year at Benjamin Russell High School in 1992; he was also a key member of the state championship basketball team during that year. He accepted a scholarship to play college football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), where he set school records for most receiving yards in a game (232), most touchdown receptions in a game (5), and most career touchdown receptions (28). While at UTC, Owens worked at delivering pizzas to earn extra money.

5-time All-Pro

Terrell Eldorado Owens (/ˈtɛrəl/; born December 7, 1973), popularly known by his initials, T.O., is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens holds or shares several NFL receiving records.

After a successful college career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Owens was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft with the 89th overall pick. While playing for the 49ers, Owens amassed 1,451 reception yards and 15 touchdowns in 47 games before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 following a controversial season. In his first season with Philadelphia he led all NFL receivers with 14 touchdown catches, while also recording 1,200 receiving yards with 77 receptions; he was named to his fifth Pro Bowl that season as well as being named First-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. The highlight of his career statistically came during the 2002 season when he caught a league leading 93 passes for 1,412 yards and a career high 16 touchdowns en route to being selected to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and third First-team All-Pro nods.

In 10 seasons with Philadelphia he recorded nine 1,000+ receiving yards seasons and ranks second in team history in receiving yards (9,144) and third in team history in reception touchdowns (64). However it was not all glory for Owens off the playing field as he was embroiled in several controversies both on and off it during his time with Philadelphia including friction with teammates as well as repeated altercations with members of the media which ultimately led to him being suspended from the team for one game during his final season before being released. Following his release from Philadelphia he spent brief periods of time with other teams such as the Dallas Cowboys where he made another Pro Bowl appearance before being eventually released and then ending his career after short stints with both Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League and Seattle Seahawks.

1-time Super Bowl champion

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 six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens holds or shares several NFL records. His 15,934 career receiving yards rank second in NFL history and his 153 receiving touchdowns rank third. As productive as he has been, Owens has been equally controversial, creating firestorms with his words and actions on and off the field.

Owens played college football and basketball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), and was selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Owens was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 after a spat with San Francisco’s management. In his first season with Philadelphia, he had 77 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns, helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl XXXIX and was named to the All-Pro team. The end of his career was marked by a prolonged contract dispute with the Eagles followed by repeated fines and suspensions imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for various infractions. Owens was released by Philadelphia following the 2005 season after another series of confrontations with teammates, management and media members. He signed four one-year contracts: two with division rival Dallas Cowboys though he was suspended thrice during that span; once each with Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals respectively where he played eight games for each before being released mid-season; culminating in signing a one-year deal back with Dallas where he played seven games before being deactivated for violating team rules; he retired from professional football on June 8, 2012 after being unemployed for over a year following his latest release from the Seahawks.

A talented singerula on songs such as “Dreams” by The Game and “Were not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister which have gotten him noticed outside of just sports fans; Owens has also parlayed his celebrity into numerous endorsement deals, appearing in commercials for companies such as Hanes, Castrol motor oil