NFL free agent rankings: Wide receivers

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06 Jan 2025 15:03

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are some very big names at wide receiver set to hit free agency in 2025.

The 2025 NFL Draft class is once again going to be feature a cluster of wide receivers selected in the first couple rounds. Maybe not quite as many as 2024, but it’s a solid group.

With that being said, there are some great free agents on the market at wide receiver, including a potential No. 1 receiver option and a slew of aging numbers twos. We polled a group of writers from around SB Nation to gather consensus rankings about the players. While there are no unanimous picks among the bunch as folks value different WR traits, our groups stands out into some defined tiers.

We will remove players from the list as they re-sign with their current teams all the way up to the opening of free agency in March.

Other receiving votes: Darius Slayton, Donale Moore, Mike Williams, TuTu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, Olamide Zaccheus, Tim Patrick, Josh Palmer,Nick Westbrook, Elijah Moore

10. Zay Jones, Arizona Cardinals

The former Bills, Raiders, and Jaguars receiver, Jones has been relegated to a supporting role with the Cardinals in 2024. He topped out in 2022 with 823 yards and five touchdowns but was phased out in Jacksonville. He’s averaged 9.5 yards per reception the last two seasons.

9. Noah Brown, Washington Commanders

Brown has never topped 600 yards in a season, but his per-catch stats are great. As a complementary piece, he can be very good. He has averaged 13.3 yards per reception in his career and is still on the right side of 30.

8. Diontae Johnson, Baltimore Ravens

The Panthers traded Johnson this year to rid themselves of the distraction and then the Ravens benched him for conduct detrimental to the team. Let’s just say he’s a polarizing figure, eh? He has a Pro Bowl and an 1100-yard season on his resume, but will also be joining his fourth team in three years. He is turning 29 this offseason and if a team can get his head right, he could be a steal.

7. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Brown missed most of the 2024 season with an injury, so it’s hard to even qualify his lone season in Kansas City because of sample size. He turns 28 this offseason, making him one of the younger players on this list. For his career, he has averaged 11.6 yards per reception and just over 50 yards per game, and he only has one 1000-yard season to his name. Two of our voters had him at third in their rankings, though.

6. Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears

The former Chargers receiver spent one season with the Chicago Bears and their offense left a lot to be desired. His numbers reflected that. Allen was the third receiver in the Windy City, and at this point in his career, that’s probably where he’s going to be in 2025 at age 33.

5. De’Andre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs traded for Hopkins at the deadline to add some firepower and he’s played very well for them. Still, he turns 33 this offseason and has been dealing with nagging injuries all year. On three teams in three years, his yards per reception was the lowest of his career in 2024.

4. Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills

Cooper was traded to Buffalo during the 2024 season and injuries nagged him through his time with the Bills. One voter had him as high as second in our polling, but others had him as low as eight. It may speak to Cooper’s intrinsic motivation, as he has a tendency to check out if his team situation isn’t the best. He turns 31 this offseason and may not be a team’s top option anymore.

3. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans

Diggs is coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2024 and has clearly lost a step since his All-Pro seasons in Buffalo. Even before the injury, he was averaging just 10.6 yards per reception as the third option in Houston’s passing attack and his success rate was down with a large number of receptions behind the line of scrimmage. If you add him, don’t count on him to be a monster at age 31, but he can still be a solid contributor.

2. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Godwin has benefited from being the second-best receiver on the Bucs for several years while Mike Evans ate up the bracketed coverage. An injury ended his 2024 season, and he is about to turn 29, but he was still very effective when healthy in 2024.

1. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

Nearly a unanimous number one on our ballots, Higgins is coming off massive success as the second option in the Bengals’ passing game. Can he hack it as a number one receiver is the big question, but his stats are undeniable. The only thing that has slowed him down are some injuries over the years, so he doesn’t have an 1100-yard season on his resume.

Other free agent wide receivers

Brandin Cooks
Robert Woods
K.J. Osborn
Nelson Agholor
Ashton Dulin
DJ Chark
Odell Beckham, Jr.
Mack Hollins
Tyler Boyd
Zach Pascal
Braxton Berrios
Brandon Powell
Trent Sherfield
Justin Watson
Chris Conley
Steven Sims Jr.
Jamison Crowder
Gunner Olszewski
Khadarel Hodge
Van Jefferson
Deonte Harty
Scotty Miller
Dyami Brown
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Deandre Carter
Tyler Johnson
David Moore
Mecole Hardman
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Greg Dortch
Malik Taylor
Nsimba Webster
Simi Fehoko
Tylan Wallace
Juwann Winfree
Britain Covey (RFA)
Anthony Schwartz (RFA)
D.J. Turner (RFA)
Irvin Charles (RFA)
Tim Jones (RFA)