In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play. A player who catches a forward pass is a receiver, and the number of receiving yards each player has recorded in each season is a recorded stat in football games. In addition to the overall National Football League (NFL) receiving champion, league record books recognize statistics from the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. The NFL also recognizes the statistics of the All-America Football Conference, which operated from 1946 to 1949 before three of its teams were merged into the NFL, since 2025.
The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. The average yards the leader has gained has increased over time – since the adoption of the 14-game season in 1961, all but one season saw the receiving leader record over 1,000 yards. No player has ever finished with over 2,000 receiving yards in a season; the current record is 1,964 yards, set by Calvin Johnson during the 2012 season. Wes Chandler, who led the league with 1,032 yards in the strike-shortened 1982 season, averaged 129 yards receiving per game, an NFL record.
Don Hutson led the league in receiving yards seven times, the most of any player; Jerry Rice is second with six. Hutson also recorded the most consecutive seasons leading the league in receiving, doing so for five seasons from 1941 to 1945, while Jerry Rice ranks second with three consecutive league-leading seasons from 1993 to 1995; they are the only players to lead the league in yards in more than four seasons. A Green Bay Packers player has led the league in receiving yards eleven times, the most in the NFL; the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams rank second with nine league-leading seasons. The most recent receiving yards leader was Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks, who recorded 1,793 receiving yards during the 2025 season.
NFL annual receiving yards leaders
+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receiving yards in the NFL Yds The total number of receiving yards the player had GP The number of games that the player participated in during that season Pro Football Hall of Fame member ^ The player is an active player * Player set the single-season receiving yards record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
+NFL annual receiving yards leaders by seasonSeasonLeaderTeam 350*12 New York Giants 28310Pittsburgh Pirates 264 12Detroit Lions 433*11Boston Redskins 536*12Green Bay Packers 675*11Chicago Cardinals (2)54810Green Bay Packers (3) 846*11Green Bay Packers 70711Philadelphia Eagles (4)73811Green Bay Packers (5) 1,211*11Green Bay Packers (6)77610Green Bay Packers (7)86610Green Bay Packers 1,0679Cleveland Rams (2)98111Los Angeles Rams 94412Chicago Cardinals (2)94312Chicago Cardinals 1,01412Detroit Lions 1,11612Los Angeles Rams 1,495*12Los Angeles Rams 1,23112Green Bay Packers 1,04912Philadelphia Eagles 1,21212Los Angeles Rams (2)86412Philadelphia Eagles (2)1,18812Green Bay Packers 80012Baltimore Colts 1,09712Los Angeles Rams (2)95912Baltimore Colts (3)1,29812Baltimore Colts 1,14414Philadelphia Eagles 1,38414Washington Redskins (2)1,43614Washington Redskins 1,20014Chicago Bears 1,34414San Francisco 49ers 1,26614Detroit Lions 1,26514Philadelphia Eagles 1,07414Pittsburgh Steelers 1,11614Philadelphia Eagles 1,10013San Francisco 49ers 1,11014Kansas City Chiefs (2)1,04814Philadelphia Eagles 1,11614Philadelphia Eagles 1,09214Oakland Raiders 1,06314Houston Oilers 1,11214Baltimore Colts 87014Dallas Cowboys 1,16916New York Jets 1,23715Seattle Seahawks 1,34016San Diego Chargers 1,35816Atlanta Falcons 1,032San Diego Chargers 1,40916Philadelphia Eagles 1,555*16St. Louis Cardinals (2)1,28716Seattle Seahawks 1,570*15San Francisco 49ers 1,11715St. Louis Cardinals 1,41416Los Angeles Rams (2)1,48316San Francisco 49ers (3)1,50216San Francisco 49ers 1,52316Dallas Cowboys 1,46116Green Bay Packers (4)1,50316San Francisco 49ers (5)1,49916San Francisco 49ers (6) 1,848*16San Francisco 49ers 1,33816St. Louis Rams 1,58416Arizona Cardinals 1,42415Green Bay Packers 1,66316Indianapolis Colts 1,63516St. Louis Rams 1,59816Arizona Cardinals (2)1,72216Indianapolis Colts (2)1,69616St. Louis Rams 1,40516Carolina Panthers 1,56316Carolina Panthers 1,36916Cincinnati Bengals 1,51016Indianapolis Colts 1,57516Houston Texans (2)1,56916Houston Texans 1,44816Denver Broncos 1,68116Detroit Lions (2) 1,964*16Detroit Lions 1,64614Cleveland Browns 1,69816Pittsburgh Steelers 1,87116Atlanta Falcons 1,44816Indianapolis Colts (2)1,53314Pittsburgh Steelers (2)1,67716Atlanta Falcons Michael Thomas1,72516New Orleans Saints ^1,53516Buffalo Bills ^1,94717Los Angeles Rams ^1,80917Minnesota Vikings 1,79916Miami Dolphins ^1,70817Cincinnati Bengals ^1,79317Seattle Seahawks
AFL annual receiving yards leaders
+ Key Symbol Meaning Player The player who recorded the most receiving yards in the AFL Yds The total number of receiving yards the player had GP The number of games that the player participated in during that season Pro Football Hall of Fame member * Set the single-season receiving yards record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
+AFL annual receiving yards leaders by seasonSeasonPlayerTeam 1960 Houston Oilers1,473*14 1961 Houston Oilers1,746*141962 New York Titans1,13014 1963 (2)Oakland Raiders1,30414 1964 (2)Houston Oilers1,54614 1965San Diego Chargers1,60214 1966 (2)San Diego Chargers1,38313 1967New York Jets1,43414 1968 (3)San Diego Chargers1,31214 1969 Oakland Raiders1,26014
AAFC annual receiving yards leaders
+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receiving yards in the AAFC Yds The total number of receiving yards the player had GP The number of games played by a player during the season Pro Football Hall of Fame member * Set the single-season receiving yards record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
+ AAFC annual receiving yards leaders by season Season Player Team 1946 843* 14 Cleveland Browns 1947 1,146* 14 Cleveland Browns 1948 970 14 Baltimore Colts 1949 (2) 1,028 12 Cleveland Browns
Historical records for most receiving yards in one season
+Records held for most receiving yards in a single season Season Player Team Receiving Yards Games played 1932 Ray Flaherty^ New York Giants 350 12 3 years 1935 Charley Malone Boston Redskins 433 11 1 year 1936 Don Hutson^ Green Bay Packers 536 12 1 year 1937 Gaynell Tinsley Chicago Cardinals 675 11 2 years 1939 Don Hutson^ Green Bay Packers 846 11 3 years 1942 Don Hutson^ Green Bay Packers 1,211 11 9 years 1951 Elroy Hirsch^ Los Angeles Rams 1,495 12 33 years 1984 Roy Green St. Louis Cardinals 1,555 16 2 years 1986 Jerry Rice^ San Francisco 49ers 1,570 15 9 years 1995 Jerry Rice^ San Francisco 49ers 1,848 16 17 years 2012 Calvin Johnson^ Detroit Lions 1,964 16 Since 2012
Most seasons leading the league Count Player Seasons Team 7 , , , Green Bay Packers 6 , , , San Francisco 49ers 3 1965, 1966, 1968 San Diego Chargers , , Baltimore Colts2 , Cleveland Rams (1) / Los Angeles Rams (1) , Pittsburgh Steelers , Indianapolis Colts 1961, 1964 Houston Oilers , St. Louis Rams , Green Bay Packers , Philadelphia Eagles , Houston Texans , Detroit Lions , Atlanta Falcons , Chicago Cardinals , Seattle Seahawks , Washington Redskins , Philadelphia Eagles 1962, 1963 New York Titans (1) / Oakland Raiders (1)1947, 1949Cleveland Browns
See also List of NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders List of NFL career receiving yards leaders
Notes
References
External links National Football League 250 best AFL and NFL receiving seasons