NFL free agents 2025: Ranking the top 10 wide receivers

NFL free agents 2025: Ranking the top 10 wide receivers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

When was the last time the New England Patriots had a true difference-maker at wide receiver?

Randy Moss? Julian Edelman at his peak?

The last time the Patriots had a 1,000-yard wideout was Edelman in 2019. DeMario Douglas led Patriots wide receivers in 2024 with just 621 yards in 17 games. In the last five seasons since Tom Brady left New England, the Patriots have had only one wide receiver — Kendrick Bourne in 2021 — tally five or more receiving touchdowns in a single campaign.

If the Patriots are going to maximize the enormous potential of young quarterback Drake Maye, they have to surround him with playmakers at wide receiver.

Whether it’s through the draft, free agency or the trade market, acquiring a No. 1 wideout must be a top priority.

The Patriots are projected to have around $120 million of salary cap space for free agency, per OverTheCap, which is the most of any team.

Which wide receivers should they consider pursuing with this cash?

Here are the top 10 wideouts who could be available in free agency. It should be noted that some of these players could re-sign with their current teams or be franchise tagged.

10. Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers

2024 stats: 39 receptions, 584 yards, one TD

Palmer is not a No. 1 wideout by any means, but he could be a solid No. 3 and give the Patriots what they should have gotten in terms of production from K.J. Osborn last season. The 2021 third-round pick has tallied 581 or more receiving yards in three straight seasons. He also has averaged 15-plus yards per catch over the last two years.

9. Mike Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers

2024 stats: 21 receptions, 298 yards, one TD

Williams is no longer a 1,000-yard wideout, but he can still be productive in the right system. And at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, the 30-year-old veteran is still a formidable target in the red zone. After missing 14 games in 2023, Williams played in a career-high 18 games this past season between the Jets and Steelers.

8. Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears

2024 stats: 70 receptions, 744 yards, seven TD

Allen is past his prime at 32 years old, but he was still able to make a solid impact for the Bears in 2024. He has found the end zone six or more times in seven of the last eight seasons. Allen also has tallied 750-plus receiving yards in seven of the previous eight seasons.

7. Darius Slayton, New York Giants

2024 stats: 39 receptions, 573 yards, two TD

Slayton has four seasons of 700-plus receiving yards since 2019, which is impressive when you consider the lackluster quarterback play the Giants have had during that span, particularly the last two years. Slayton really showed his value in a Week 6 matchup versus the Seahawks when he tallied eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown, which included three third-down catches and a couple huge plays downfield (career average of 15 yards per reception).

Slayton isn’t the fastest player in the league, but he’s a good runner after the catch.

6. Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

2024 stats: Nine receptions, 91 yards, zero TD (two games played)

Brown missed all but two regular season games due to a clavicle injury suffered in the preseason. Durability has been an issue for Brown the last couple seasons — five games missed in 2021, three in 2023 and 15 in 2024 — but when healthy, he is a playmaker on deep passes with his impressive speed. Signing Brown could end up being a home run for a WR-needy team, but given his injury history, it could just as easily turn into a nightmare decision. A classic boom-or-bust situation.

5. Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills

2024 stats: 44 receptions, 547 yards, four TD

Cooper came into 2024 with 1,100-plus receiving yards in four of the previous five seasons. This season has largely been a struggle for him, though.

He was traded from the Browns to a much better situation with the Bills in October but tallied just 20 receptions for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight games with his new team. In 14 total games between the Browns and Bills, Cooper tallied zero 100-yard games and exceeded 66 receiving yards only twice. His 12 drops were one fewer than the league leader. And in two playoff games (so far) with the Bills, Cooper has two receptions for eight yards and zero touchdowns — a complete non-factor.

Cooper is 30 years old and next season will be his 11th as a pro. He probably still has the potential to be a No. 2 wideout, but it’ll be interesting to see if his drop-off this season makes teams a little hesitant about giving him a huge contract.

4. DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs

2024 stats: 56 receptions, 610 yards and five TD

Hopkins is no longer one of the top 10 wide receivers in the sport, but he is still productive enough to make a genuine impact, especially outside the numbers. The 32-year-old veteran was traded to the Chiefs in October and tallied 41 receptions for 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games.

In a perfect world, the Patriots would target a younger wideout than Hopkins, but he would be a pretty good short-term solution if they strike out on other options.

3. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans

2024 stats: 47 receptions, 496 yards, three TD (in eight games)

Diggs had been a model of consistency for a long time with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2018 through 2023. He tallied 100-plus receptions in five of those six seasons.

He was on pace to get close to those levels with the Texans in 2024 before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 8. Diggs should be ready for next season, but signing him at 31 years old after major knee surgery carries some risk. But if healthy, there aren’t many wideouts who are more dependable on a week-to-week basis.

The Texans would be wise to bring back Diggs, and it sounds like their quarterback would definitely be on board with that:

2. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2024 stats: 50 receptions, 575 yards, five TD (in seven games)

A healthy Godwin is pretty much a lock to reach the 1,000-yard mark. He was well on his way to getting there in 2024 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in October, which required surgery. Godwin had 50 receptions for 575 yards and five touchdowns at the time of the injury. He was on pace for the best campaign of his career.

Injuries have been a setback for Godwin throughout his career. In addition to this ankle injury, he also tore his ACL in 2022 and has played a full season just three times in eight years with the Buccaneers.

But there’s no denying Godwin’s production when he’s on the field. He averaged 87 receptions for 1,065 yards and five touchdowns over a five-season span from 2019 through 2023.

The only concern with Godwin is whether he can play enough games going forward to make a lucrative contract make sense for a WR-needy team.

1. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

2024 stats: 73 receptions, 911 yards, 10 TD

Higgins is a legit No. 1 wideout and at 26 years old, he’s the youngest player on this list. Most of his best years should still be ahead of him.

One of the reasons why the Bengals almost made the playoffs was Higgins’ dominance over the second half of the season. He scored five touchdowns over the last four games, including an amazing performance against the Broncos in Week 16 during which he caught 11 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns.

Higgins is great on the outside, over the middle, on key third downs and deep down the field. He can do it all. He also has great size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.

The only concern with Higgins is injuries. He missed five games in each of the last two seasons. But that shouldn’t deter teams from making a serious pursuit of Higgins if he makes it to free agency. The Patriots should do everything possible to sign him.

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