NFL free agent rankings: Wide receivers
03/11/2025 04:02 PM
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.
Pending free agent wide receivers heading into 2025
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. UPDATE: Zay Jones re-signed with the Cardinals.
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. UPDATE: Brown re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year deal.
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. UPDATE: Godwin re-signed with the Bucs.
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. UPDATE: The Bengals used the franchise tag on Higgins.
Recently released wide receivers
These WRs were released after our rankings were put together in the lead up to the 2025 league year.
Davante Adams
The Raiders traded Adams to the Jets for a third-round pick during the 2024 season and he had two huge years left on his deal. After moving on from Adams' buddy Aaron Rodgers, they did the same with the WR instead of paying Adams $36.2 million per season. Adams had a 1000-yard receiving season and eight touchdowns despite only playing in 14 games in a contract hold-in. He just turned 32 and apparently wants to be closer to the West Coast, but the plan is he'll keep playing. UPDATE: Adams signed with the Rams.
Tyler Lockett
The 10-year Seahawks receiver was let go by Seattle instead of cashing a $17 million payday in 2025. That makes sense. He turns 33 in September and his production dropped off from career highs in 2021 to just 49 catches for 600 yards and two touchdowns in 2024. Lockett joins a list of aging wide receivers that could see a one-year deal to see how much they have left in the tank.
Devin Duvernay
The Jags are remaking their receiver room (again) and released Duvernay. He was due $3.4 million in 2024 and after only catching 11 passes, returning 19 punts, and returning 14 kicks in 2024, that does not make sense. The former third-round pick is unlikely to add much in the receiving room, but he's a former All-Pro returner, so he'll definitely get a look somewhere.
Josh Reynolds
Reynolds was cut by the Broncos in December, claimed by the Jaguars, and now cut by the Jaguars. Jacksonville didn't want to pay him $4.5 million for 2025. He's played for five teams since the start of the 2020 season, but in 2023 he finished with 608 yards and five touchdowns for the Lions. We'll see what kind of market he gets this offseason.
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)
- Kavontae Turpin (RFA)
Free agent wide receivers who were signed to new deals
- The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Tee Higgins
- Kavontae Turpin signed his second-round RFA tender with the Dallas Cowboys
- TuTu Atwell signed a one-year deal with the Rams
- Hollywood Brown re-signed with the Chiefs
- Davante Adams signed a two-year deal with the L.A. Rams
- Chris Godwin re-upped with the Buccaneers
- Braxton Barrios agreed to a one-year deal in Houston
- Dyami Brown agreed to terms with the Jaguars
- Josh Palmer to the Bills on a three-year deal
- Darius Slayton signed an extension with the New York Giants
- Mack Hollins agreed to a two-year deal with the Patriots
- Ashton Dulin agreed to a deal with the Indianapolis Colts
- The cardinals were able to re-sign Zay Jones
