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NFL: Most receiving yards in a game, season and career

We look at the receiving leaders throughout NFL history, from the most receiving yards in a game, to the most receiving yards in a season, to the most receiving yards in a career.

What is a receiving yard?

One of the main ways teams advance the ball upfield in American football is by passing to receivers.

Receiving yards are calculated from the line of scrimmage (essentially where the ball is positioned at the start of a play) to where the play ends following a completed catch.

It is possible to record negative receiving yards. If the ball is received behind the line of scrimmage where a player is then tackled, the yards lost will be deducted from a player's receiving yards.

Most receiving yards in NFL history

Rank

Player

Receiving yards

1

 Jerry Rice

 22,895

2

 Larry Fitzgerald

 17,492

3

 Terrell Owens

 15,934

4

 Randy Moss

 15,292

5

 Isaac Bruce

 15,208

Legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice tops the list of the most receiving yards in NFL history, more than 5,000 clear of Larry Fitzgerald in second place. Rice is the only player to top 20,000 receiving yards and also holds the record for the most receptions with 1,549 - the only player with more than 1,500.

Tony Gonzalez holds the record for the most receiving yards by a tight end, with 15,127 from 1,325 receptions.

Most receiving yards in a season

Rank

Player

Team

Receiving yards

Year

1

 Calvin Johnson

Detroit Lions

1,964

2012

2

 Cooper Kupp

Los Angeles Rams

1,947

2021

3

 Julio Jones

Atlanta Falcons

1,871

2015

4

 Jerry Rice

San Francisco 49ers

1,848

1995

5

 Antonio Brown

Pittsburgh Steelers

1,834

2015

Despite breaking the record for the most receiving yards in a season, and holding the record for 17 years, Jerry Rice has three players above him in terms of receiving yards in a single season.

Calvin Johnson came closest to the 2,000-yard mark in the 2012 season with the Detroit Lions, eclipsing Rice, and while nobody has bettered that, Cooper Kupp and Julio Jones have both surpassed Rice's tally back in 1995.

Most receiving yards in a game

Rank

Player

Receiving yards

Fixture

Date

1

Flipper Anderson

 336 yards 

Rams v Saints

26 Nov 1989

2

Calvin Johnson

 329 yards 

Lions v Cowboys

 27 Oct 2013

3

Stephone Paige

 309 yards 

Chiefs v San Diego Chargers

22 Dec 1985

4

Jim Benton

 303 yards 

Cleveland Rams v Lions

22 Nov 1945

5

Cloyce Box

 302 yards 

Lions v Baltimore Colts

 3 Dec 1950

Only six players have reached 300 receiving yards in an NFL game with 250 being reached on 32 occasions.

Flipper Anderson holds the record with a monster 336 yards in the Los Angeles Rams' 20-17 win over the New Orleans Saints in 1989. Despite the mammoth total, Anderson's longest reception of the game was 50 yards, and he only recorded one touchdown.

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