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. The act of catching a forward pass is a reception. The number of receptions each player makes is a recorded statistic 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. Previously, these statistics were recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. The total receptions of the leader has increased over time due to the increase of the number of games within an NFL season as well as the increase in the prevalence of passing in the NFL. Don Hutson led the league in receptions a record eight times. The first NFL player to record over 100 receptions in a season was Art Monk in 1984; Lionel Taylor and Charlie Hennigan had accomplished the feat in the AFL in 1961 and 1964 respectively. The NFL record for single-season receptions has changed on 15 occasions, with Michael Thomas holding the current record of 149 receptions set in 2019.
NFL annual receptions leaders
+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receptions in the NFL Rec The total number of receptions the player had GP The number of games played by a player during the season Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ^ Active player * Set the single-season receptions record (#)Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
+ NFL annual receptions leaders by season Season Leader Team 21* 12 New York Giants 22* 10 Brooklyn Dodgers 16 13 New York Giants 11 Philadelphia Eagles 26* 12 New York Giants 34* 12 Green Bay Packers (2) 41* 11 Green Bay Packers 41 11 Chicago Cardinals (3) 34 11 Green Bay Packers 58* 11 Philadelphia Eagles (4) 58 11 Green Bay Packers (5) 74* 11 Green Bay Packers (6) 47 10 Green Bay Packers (7) 58 10 Green Bay Packers (8) 47 10 Green Bay Packers 63 11 Los Angeles Rams 64 12 Chicago Bears 51 12 Los Angeles Rams (2) 77* 12 Los Angeles Rams (3) 84* 12 Los Angeles Rams 66 12 Los Angeles Rams 62 12 Cleveland Browns 63 12 Philadelphia Eagles (2) 60 12 Philadelphia Eagles 12 San Francisco 49ers (3) 62 10 Philadelphia Eagles (2) 60 12 San Francisco 49ers (3) 52 11 San Francisco 49ers 56 12 Baltimore Colts 12 Philadelphia Eagles (2) 66 12 Baltimore Colts (3) 74 12 Baltimore Colts 78 14 Los Angeles Rams 72 14 Washington Redskins 73 14 St. Louis Cardinals 93* 14 Chicago Bears 80 14 San Francisco 49ers 70 14 Washington Redskins (2) 70 12 Washington Redskins 71 14 San Francisco 49ers 73 14 New Orleans Saints 71 14 Chicago Bears 61 14 Oakland Raiders 62 14 Philadelphia Eagles 67 14 Philadelphia Eagles 72 14 Baltimore Colts 73 14 Minnesota Vikings 66 14 Kansas City Chiefs (2) 71 14 Baltimore Colts 88 16 Minnesota Vikings 82 15 Baltimore Colts 89 16 San Diego Chargers (2) 88 16 San Diego Chargers 60 9 San Francisco 49ers 92 16 Los Angeles Raiders 106* 16 Washington Redskins 92 16 San Francisco 49ers (2) 95 16 Los Angeles Raiders 91 15 St. Louis Cardinals 93 15 New York Jets 90 16 Green Bay Packers 100 16 San Francisco 49ers 100 16 Houston Oilers (2) 108* 16 Green Bay Packers (3) 112* 16 Green Bay Packers 122* 16 Minnesota Vikings 123* 16 Detroit Lions (2) 108 16 San Francisco 49ers 104 16 Oakland Raiders (2) 16 Detroit Lions 90 16 Miami Dolphins 116 16 Jacksonville Jaguars 102 16 Indianapolis Colts 16 Carolina Panthers 113 15 Denver Broncos (2) 143* 16 Indianapolis Colts 117 16 St. Louis Rams 102 16 Kansas City Chiefs 103 16 Arizona Cardinals 16 Carolina Panthers 103 16 Houston Texans 112 16 Cincinnati Bengals 16 New England Patriots (2) 115 16 Houston Texans (2) 123 14 New England Patriots 115 16 Atlanta Falcons (3) 122 16 New England Patriots 122 16 Detroit Lions 113 16 Washington Redskins 129 16 Pittsburgh Steelers (2) 136 16 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Atlanta Falcons (2) 107 16 Arizona Cardinals 112 16 Miami Dolphins 125 16 New Orleans Saints (2) 149* 16 New Orleans Saints ^ 127 16 Buffalo Bills ^ 145 17 Los Angeles Rams ^ 128 17 Minnesota Vikings ^ 135 17 Dallas Cowboys ^ 127 17 Cincinnati Bengals ^ 129 16 Los Angeles Rams
AFL annual receptions leaders
+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receptions in the AFL Rec The total number of receptions the player had GP The number of games played by a player during the season Pro Football Hall of Fame member * Player set the single-season receptions record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
+ AFL annual receptions leaders by season Season Leader Team 1960 92* 12 Denver Broncos 1961 (2) 100* 14 Denver Broncos 1962 (3) 77 14 Denver Broncos 1963 (4) 78 14 Denver Broncos 1964 101* 14 Houston Oilers 1965 (5) 85 14 Denver Broncos 1966 73 13 San Diego Chargers 1967 74 14 New York Jets 1968 (2) 68 14 San Diego Chargers 1969 (3) 64 14 San Diego Chargers
AAFC annual receptions leaders
+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receptions in the AAFC Rec The total number of receptions the player had GP The number of games played by a player during the season Pro Football Hall of Fame member * Player set the single-season receptions record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
+ AAFC annual receptions leaders by season Season Player Team 1946 40* 14 San Francisco 49ers 14 Cleveland Browns 1947 67* 14 Cleveland Browns 1948 (2) 58 12 Cleveland Browns 1949 (3) 62 12 Cleveland Browns
Most seasons leading the league Count Player Seasons Team 8 , , , Green Bay Packers 5 1960–1963, 1965 Denver Broncos 4 1947–1949, Cleveland Browns 3 1966, 1968, 1969 San Diego Chargers Baltimore Colts Los Angeles Rams Philadelphia Eagles , , Green Bay Packers , , New England Patriots , , San Francisco 49ers 2 , Pittsburgh Steelers , Los Angeles Raiders , Arizona Cardinals , Indianapolis Colts , Houston Texans , Baltimore Colts , Detroit Lions , San Francisco 49ers , Washington Redskins , New Orleans Saints , San Diego Chargers
See also List of NFL career receptions leaders List of NFL annual receiving yards leaders List of NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders
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