Key points
- The chart ranks the top ten players by receiving yards per game in each decade from the 1930s to the 2020s, across the NFL, AFL and AAFC.
- Justin Jefferson has the highest figure on the chart, 96.5 yards per game in the 2020s, just ahead of Julio Jones’s 96.2 in the 2010s.
- Don Hutson led both the 1930s and the 1940s, and Jerry Rice led both the 1980s and the 1990s.
- Per game numbers rise over time: the 1930s leader, Hutson at 54.8, is below the tenth place figure of every decade from the 1980s on.
- Each figure covers all of a player’s games in that decade, with a minimum of 50 games (25 for the 2020s).
Receiving yards per game by decade, in text
Title: Top ten receiving yards per game in each decade (NFL, AFL, AAFC). Subtitle: per-game yards encompass the entire decade, not the player’s top season. A dot plot with one row of ten dots per decade, on an axis of receiving yards per game from 0 to 120.
| Decade | Leader | Yards per game | Tenth place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | Don Hutson | 54.8 | 12.8 |
| 1940s | Don Hutson | 80.8 | 31.7 |
| 1950s | Harlon Hill | 70.9 | 45.7 |
| 1960s | Lance Alworth | 93.5 | 63.6 |
| 1970s | Steve Largent | 63.6 | 50.1 |
| 1980s | Jerry Rice | 83.7 | 64.0 |
| 1990s | Jerry Rice | 82.7 | 65.2 |
| 2000s | Terrell Owens | 81.4 | 71.6 |
| 2010s | Julio Jones | 96.2 | 72.9 |
| 2020s | Justin Jefferson | 96.5 | 73.5 |
Full top ten for each decade (player and yards per game, as printed):
- 1930s: Don Hutson 54.8, Bill Smith 25.2, Eggs Manske 24.8, Charley Malone 24.7, Joe Carter 22.3, Bill Hewitt 17.0, Bill Karr 16.4, Bill Sortet 13.4, Milt Gantenbein 13.1, Johnny Blood 12.8
- 1940s: Don Hutson 80.8, Mac Speedie 68.3, Jim Benton 57.9, Alyn Beals 47.4, Ken Kavanaugh 42.2, Lamar Davis 39.7, John Greene 39.3, Billy Dewell 38.5, Jack Ferrante 33.3, Fay King 31.7
- 1950s: Harlon Hill 70.9, Billy Howton 66.2, Elroy Hirsch 65.6, Hugh Taylor 60.0, Billy Wilson 59.1, Tom Fears 58.5, Raymond Berry 56.0, Pete Pihos 55.4, Dante Lavelli 49.5, Bob Boyd 45.7
- 1960s: Lance Alworth 93.5, Don Maynard 76.8, Art Powell 76.6, Bob Hayes 76.4, Charley Hennigan 71.8, Homer Jones 66.4, Pete Retzlaff 65.6, Gary Garrison 63.9, Lionel Taylor 63.7, George Sauer 63.6
- 1970s: Steve Largent 63.6, Drew Pearson 56.6, Harold Jackson 53.6, Sammy White 52.9, Otis Taylor 52.9, Alfred Jenkins 51.5, Gary Garrison 51.4, Nat Moore 51.0, Isaac Curtis 50.6, John Gilliam 50.1
- 1980s: Jerry Rice 83.7, Gary Clark 72.7, Al Toon 66.3, Steve Largent 66.2, James Lofton 65.7, Anthony Carter 65.6, Mike Quick 65.2, Art Monk 65.0, Ernest Givins 64.9, Tony Hill 64.0
- 1990s: Jerry Rice 82.7, Michael Irvin 78.2, Isaac Bruce 75.7, Sterling Sharpe 74.0, Marvin Harrison 69.0, Antonio Freeman 68.3, Herman Moore 68.2, Keyshawn Johnson 66.3, Cris Carter 65.6, Jimmy Smith 65.2
- 2000s: Terrell Owens 81.4, Marvin Harrison 80.3, Torry Holt 80.2, Anquan Boldin 79.2, Andre Johnson 77.9, Larry Fitzgerald 76.8, Randy Moss 76.2, Jimmy Smith 72.7, Chad Johnson 72.6, David Boston 71.6
- 2010s: Julio Jones 96.2, Calvin Johnson 95.0, Michael Thomas 87.5, Odell Beckham Jr. 86.8, Antonio Brown 86.0, Mike Evans 80.7, A.J. Green 80.2, DeAndre Hopkins 78.2, Keenan Allen 74.5, T.Y. Hilton 72.9
- 2020s: Justin Jefferson 96.5, Puka Nacua 88.4, Ja’Marr Chase 87.5, Davante Adams 85.3, Tyreek Hill 85.2, A.J. Brown 80.7, Cooper Kupp 79.7, Stefon Diggs 79.3, CeeDee Lamb 78.3, Amon-Ra St. Brown 73.5
Notes printed under the chart: minimum 50 games played per decade, 2020s min 25 games played. Source: Pro Football Reference. Credit: u/JPAnalyst | @jaydpauley.bsky.social.
What the chart’s maker highlighted
u/JPAnalyst posted the chart on Reddit’s r/nfl with a list of takeaways [1]. He noted that Jerry Rice led two decades and that Don Hutson also led all pass catchers for two decades in a row, with a wide gap over everyone else. He called Justin Jefferson’s figure the highest per game average for any decade, and put it down to Jefferson’s own ability, a passing friendly era and the fact that the 2020s were only four seasons old when the chart was made [1]. He also pointed to Lance Alworth, who leads the 1960s at 93.5, as a six time first team All-Pro who won the receiving triple crown in 1966 [1].
Don Hutson’s lead in the early decades
Hutson’s 54.8 yards per game in the 1930s is more than double the 25.2 of Bill Smith in second place. Hutson played 11 seasons for the Green Bay Packers from 1935 to 1945 and is considered the first modern wide receiver [2]. He was the NFL’s first 1,000 yard receiver and led the league in receiving yards in seven seasons. In 1942 he caught 74 passes for 1,211 yards and averaged over 110 receiving yards per game [2], well above his decade average of 80.8 on the chart.
Notes on this infographic
- Snapshot date. The chart was posted in January 2025 [1], so the 2020s row covers only the 2020 to 2024 seasons. Those values will change as the decade goes on.
- Players in two decades. Gary Garrison (1960s, 1970s), Steve Largent (1970s, 1980s), Marvin Harrison and Jimmy Smith (1990s, 2000s) each appear twice, besides the two leaders.
- Ties. Sammy White and Otis Taylor are both printed as 52.9 in the 1970s, and Michael Thomas and Ja’Marr Chase share 87.5 in different decades.
- Not checked line by line. The 100 values come from Pro Football Reference via the chart. We did not recheck each figure.
- No teams shown. The chart lists players only, without their teams.
Sources
- u/JPAnalyst on Reddit r/nfl, [OC] Top ten in receiving yards per game in each decade, January 2025.
- Wikipedia, Don Hutson.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
