Back in 2012, Calvin Johnson set the single-season receiving yards record, racking up 1,964 with the Detroit Lions. A record that was set 14 years ago still stands today, even with the NFL having moved to a 17-game season starting in 2021.
At some point, the record has to be broken, right? If it's stood for this long, I guess there's no guarantee it's going to be broken anytime soon. As we enter the summer months of the 2026 NFL Offseason, teams will continue with their offseason activities and begin the process of preparing for the upcoming season.
This gives us some time to look at five wide receivers who have a chance to break the single-season receiving record. Could someone reach 1,965 yards in 2026? Let's power-rank the logical candidates here.
NFL Power Rankings, 2026: Ranking WRs who could break Calvin Johnson's all-time record
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Through five years in the NFL, Amon-Ra St. Brown has racked up 6,252 receiving yards, which includes four-straight seasons of at least 1,100 yards. He had a career-high 1,515 yards back in 2023 and has caught triple-digit footballs these last four seasons.
St. Brown is an insanely high-volume player who is paired up with a prolific quarterback in Jared Goff. This duo would be capable of setting the record in 2026. While St. Brown isn't quite as explosive or physically dominant as other players on this list, he's averaging 112 receptions across a full 17-game season. It's possible.
4. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua led the NFL with 129 receptions in 2025. If you take the last two seasons of his career and average it out over a 17-game season, this is what you would get:
131 receptions
1,703
8 touchdowns
Nacua played in 16 games last year, so had he played in 17 games and kept up his pace, he would have been at 1,822 yards, which is still in the ballpark. The Los Angeles Rams reshaped the defense this offseason, which could give the offense more snaps on the field.
Additionally, the two-best receiving seasons in NFL history belong to Johnson and Cooper Kupp. Their quarterback was Matthew Stafford. The reigning MVP will feed his top target, so Nacua does have a chance.
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