Jerry Rice's 22,895 regular-season receiving yards lead the NFL by more than 5,400 over Larry Fitzgerald's 17,492; all ten players in the top ten are retired.
Jerry Rice has the most receiving yards in NFL history, 22,895 in the regular season. Larry Fitzgerald is second with 17,492 and Terrell Owens third with 15,934. The ranking uses regular-season career receiving yards through the end of the 2025 NFL season; no active player is in the top ten.
Career receiving yards reward longevity as much as peak talent: everyone in the top ten played at least 13 NFL seasons. Nine are wide receivers and one, Tony Gonzalez, is a tight end. This list ranks players by regular-season receiving yards through the end of the 2025 NFL season. All ten are retired, so their totals are final.
Rice's 22,895 receiving yards are 5,403 more than anyone else has managed. He played 20 seasons, 16 of them with the San Francisco 49ers, and caught 1,549 passes.
Fitzgerald is second with 17,492 yards, all of them for the Arizona Cardinals over 17 seasons (2004-2020). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2026.
Owens is third with 15,934 yards across 15 seasons with five teams, starting with eight years in San Francisco. His 14.8 yards per catch match Rice's career average.
Moss finished with 15,292 yards and averaged 15.6 yards per catch, the highest of anyone in the top ten. He played for five teams, mostly Minnesota and New England.
Bruce ranks fifth with 15,208 yards, 14 seasons of them with the Rams in Los Angeles and St. Louis before two final years in San Francisco.
Gonzalez is the only tight end in the top ten, with 15,127 yards on 1,325 catches over 12 seasons in Kansas City and five in Atlanta.
Brown ranks seventh with 14,934 yards, all but his final season with the Raiders in Los Angeles and Oakland.
Smith finished with 14,731 yards over 13 seasons in Carolina and three in Baltimore. He is the highest-ranked player on this list not yet in the Hall of Fame.
Harrison ranks ninth with 14,580 yards, all for the Indianapolis Colts over 13 seasons.
Wayne rounds out the top ten with 14,345 yards, all for the Colts across 14 seasons, many of them alongside Harrison. He has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
| # | Name | Primary team | Position | Receptions | NFL seasons | Pro Football Hall of Fame |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerry Rice | San Francisco 49ers | WR | 1549 | 20 | Inducted 2010 |
| 2 | Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona Cardinals | WR | 1432 | 17 | Inducted 2026 |
| 3 | Terrell Owens | San Francisco 49ers | WR | 1078 | 15 | Inducted 2018 |
| 4 | Randy Moss | Minnesota Vikings | WR | 982 | 14 | Inducted 2018 |
| 5 | Isaac Bruce | Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams | WR | 1024 | 16 | Inducted 2020 |
| 6 | Tony Gonzalez | Kansas City Chiefs | TE | 1325 | 17 | Inducted 2019 |
| 7 | Tim Brown | Oakland Raiders | WR | 1094 | 17 | Inducted 2015 |
| 8 | Steve Smith Sr. | Carolina Panthers | WR | 1031 | 16 | Not inducted |
| 9 | Marvin Harrison | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 1102 | 13 | Inducted 2016 |
| 10 | Reggie Wayne | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 1070 | 14 | Not inducted |
Players are ranked by career regular-season receiving yards, most first, as listed on Wikipedia's list of NFL career receiving yards leaders, which follows Pro Football Reference. Figures are as of the end of the 2025 NFL season; the highest-ranked active players are outside the top ten. Postseason yards are excluded. There are no ties in the top ten. Hall of Fame years are from Wikipedia's list of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, current through the Class of 2026.
Jerry Rice, with 22,895 regular-season receiving yards. Larry Fitzgerald is second with 17,492.
No. This ranking uses regular-season receiving yards only.
Tony Gonzalez, with 15,127. He is the only tight end in the overall top ten, at sixth.
No. As of the end of the 2025 season all ten are retired; Andre Johnson (14,185) is 11th.
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