NFL free agent rankings: Wide receivers

March 3, 2025

The 2025 NFL Draft class again features a cluster of wide receivers selected in the first few rounds. It's probably not as bad as 2024, but it's a solid group.

That being said, there are great free agents in the market with wide receivers, including potential No. 1 receiver options and aging numbers TWOS. We voted for a group of writers around SB Nation to gather consensus rankings on players. Although unanimous picks are not in the bundle as people value different WR characteristics, our group stands out in several defined layers.

Players will be removed from the list as they will re-sign with their current team until the opening of the free agency in March.

Other votes: Darius Slayton, Donal Moore, Mike Williams, Chut Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, Olamide Zatcheus, Tim Patrick, Josh Palmer, Nick Westbrook, Elijah Moore

10. Zay Jones, Arizona Cardinals

Previous bills, Raiders and Jaguar receiver Jones was relegated to the Cardinals' support role in 2024. He was headed for 823 yards and five touchdowns in 2022, but was phased out in Jacksonville. He averaged 9.5 yards reception over the past two seasons.

9. Noah Brown, Washington Commander

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

8. Dionta Johnson, Baltimore Ravens

The Panthers traded Johnson this year to remove the distraction, and the Ravens benched him for behaviour that harms the team. Let's say he's a polarizing person. He has a Pro Bowl and a 1100-yard season on his resume, but will also join the fourth team in three years. He's turned 29 this offseason and if the team can get their heads right he can steal.

7. Marquis “Hollywood” Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Brown missed most of the 2024 season with injuries, so it's hard to even qualify for his only season in Kansas City due to sample size. He turned 28 this offseason and became one of the young players on this list. Due to his career, he averages 11.6 yards per reception and just over 50 yards per game, with his name only having a 1,000-yard season. However, two of our voters came in third in his rankings.

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 is Windy City's third receiver, and at this point in his career, it's probably where he goes at 33 in 2025.

5. De'andre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs traded for Hopkins on deadline and added firepower, playing very well for him. Still, he turns 33 this offseason and deals with persistent injuries all year round. With 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 with Buffalo during the 2024 season, with the injured dealing with him throughout his time. One voter had him the same height as the second in our vote, while the other voters lowered him to the age of eight. He may talk to Cooper's essential motivations as he tends to look into whether his team is in the best. He will turn 31 this offseason and may no longer be a top option for the team.

3. Stephon Diggs, Houston Texans

Diggs has been away from a season-ending knee injury in 2024, and has clearly lost a step since his All-Pro season at Buffalo. Even before the injury, he averaged 10.6 yards per reception as the third option in Houston's passing attack, and his success rate fell with numerous receptions behind the line of scrimmage. If you add him, he is 31 years old and not rely on monsters. But he can still be a solid contributor.

2. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Godwin benefits from being the second best receiver on the Bucs for several years while Mike Evans was eating bracket coverage. The injury ended the 2024 season and he was about to turn 29, but when he was healthy in 2024, he was still very effective.

1. Tea Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

The nearly unanimous number one in our vote, Higgins has been a huge success as the second choice in the Bengals' passing game. He hacks it as the number one receiver, a big problem, but his statistics cannot be denied. The only thing that slowed him down is a few injuries over the years, so he doesn't have a 1100-yard season on his resume. Update: The Bengals used the Higgins franchise tag.