NFL record likely to fall No. 5: Receiving Yards
Current record: 1,964 — Calvin Johnson in 2012
It wasn’t enough to have a generational running back in Barry Sanders and do nothing with his career, at least not for the Detroit Lions. They decided they needed to do it all over again with Calvin Johnson who was an absolute monster but didn’t play nearly long enough.
Johnson was the second overall pick out of Georgia Tech in 2007 and was everything the Lions thought he could be. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 237-pounds, Johnson looked like a tight end but moved like a wide receiver with 50 fewer pounds.
For his career, he had 731 receptions for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns. Still, his best season was in 2012 when he set the NFL record for receiving yards. That year, he hauled in 122 passes for 1,964 yards.
This past season, Johnson was challenged by Cooper Kupp who ended up with 1,947 yards. Ironically, he had the same quarterback throwing to him that Johnson did back in 2012. Matthew Stafford had 4,967 yards in 2012 and went for 4,886 with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
Kupp isn’t the only wideout to watch, however, as Davante Adams could be a player to put up some insane numbers. In his first season with the Oakland Raiders, Adams is coming off a 1,553-yard season with the Packers. Reunited with his collegiate quarterback, Derek Carr, and joining Josh McDaniels could be exactly what he needs to have the best season of his career.
Players most likely to break the record: Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams