The Super Bowl is where all-time greats are born and while we often measure a quarterback’s success by his Super Bowl victories, there are plenty of amazing wide receivers that help them achieve those marks.
Throughout the history of the Super Bowl there has been exceptional play from the wide receiver position. From Lynn Swann’s acrobatic catch in Super Bowl X to David Tyree pinning the ball to his helmet in Super Bowl XLII, the incredible plays receivers make in the big game are remembered forever.
But which wide receivers performed the best when the stakes were at the highest?
We look at the 10 all-time great wide receivers in Super Bowl history.
Honorable mentions: Hines Ward (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ricky Sanders (Washington), Wes Welker (New England Patriots, Denver Broncos), Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals)
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10. Cliff Branch, Raiders
Branch, a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, won three Super Bowl rings with the Raiders in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and was a critical piece of the silver and black’s offense.
In three Super Bowls, Branch caught 14 of 18 targets for 181 yards and three touchdowns with his single-best performance coming in Super Bowl XV against the Philadelphia Eagles. Branch had five catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-10 victory.
9. Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes may not be on any of the career all-time lists in Super Bowl history, but his performance in Super Bowl XLIII was so good he deserves a spot on this list. Holmes finished with nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, but it was not just any ordinary touchdown. It is arguably the greatest catch in Super Bowl history.
Ben Roethlisberger connected with Holmes late in the fourth quarter in the back corner of the end zone as Holmes extended for the ball while somehow keep his toes in bounds and on the ground to make the game-winning catch in one of the most impressive game-winning drives in Super Bowl history. His performance made him one of the seven wide receivers to win Super Bowl MVP.
8. Michael Irvin, Dallas Cowboys
Michael Irvin is one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history and he backed it up when he played on the biggest stage. His best single-game performance came in Super Bowl XXVII when he caught two touchdowns in a 52-17 rout of the Cowboys. Irvin ranks ninth all time in Super Bowl career receiving yards with 256.
7. Danny Amendola, New England Patriots
Tom Brady’s affect is certainly felt throughout this list with Amendola even joining the ranks of the best Super Bowl wide receivers. His 152 receiving yards in Super Bowl LII against the Eagles ranks fifth all time while his 21 catches for 278 yards over three Super Bowl games ranks him seventh all time in each of those categories. While he did not record a TD in his 152-yard game, he did find the end zone in the other two Super Bowls he played in against the Seahawks and Falcons.
6. Antonio Freeman, Green Bay Packers
Antonio Freeman had back-to-back 100-yard performances in the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. He had just three catches in his first, Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots, but he caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre — the second-longest reception in Super Bowl history to finish with 105 yards.
The following year, Freeman went off in Super Bowl XXXII, finishing with nine catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns but the Packers would fall short to the Denver Broncos. Freeman’s three career touchdowns puts him in a four-way tie for third-most in Super Bowl history and his 19.3 yards per reception is seventh-most.
5. John Stallworth, Pittsburgh Steelers
It is almost unfair to think that the Steelers had Stallworth and Lynn Swann — two Hall of Famers — in the same receiving corps for nine seasons but it explains why they won four Super Bowls together.
In four Super Bowls, Stallworth amassed 268 yards on 11 receptions for three touchdowns. The latter ties him for third all-time in receiving TDs while his 268 receiving yards ranks eighth. He also has two of the 10 longest catches in Super Bowl history — a 75-yard catch TD catch in Super Bowl XIII — and a 73-yard TD catch the very next season in Super Bowl XIV.
He finished with three catches for 115 yards in XIII and three catches for 121 yards in XIV. His average of 24.4 yards per reception is the best career mark of anyone in Super Bowl history and his 40.3 yards per reception is tied with Swann for the most in Super Bowl history.
4. Deion Branch, New England Patriots
Tom Brady has had quite a few favorite targets over the years and there is no doubt that Deion Branch was one of his early favorites, especially in the Super Bowl. In fact, Branch had back-to-back Super Bowls in which he had at least 10 catches and 100 yards in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX, including winning the Super Bowl MVP for his 11-catch, 133-yard game against the Eagles in XXXIX.
That performance puts him tied for third-most receptions in a single Super Bowl while his 143-yard performance the year prior against the Panthers ranks 10th for most receiving yards in a Super Bowl game. He also had a TD that game, unlike his MVP game.
In three Super Bowls, Branch’s career 24 receptions rank fifth all time alongside fellow Patriot Julian Edelman while his 321 receiving yards ranks sixth.
3. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Julian Edelman played in four Super Bowls over his career, but did not record a single catch in his first appearance. But playing for the Patriots meant there would be more opportunities and he quickly began to leave his mark, including winning the MVP in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams when he had 10 catches for 141 yards.
The 10 catches place him in an eight-way tie for eighth-most in a single Super Bowl while his 24 career Super Bowl receptions puts him fifth all time alongside Deion Branch. Edelman also had another 100-yard performance four years earlier in Super Bowl XLIX when he had nine catches for 109 yards and a TD against the Seahawks.
Edelman’s most defining moment came in Super Bowl LI against the Falcons, where the Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit. Edelman had five catches for 87 yards but none bigger than the diving catch he made on a ball that was deflected away from him and hit defensive back Robert Alford’s leg before Edelman grabbed it inches from touching the ground on the game-tying drive to send it into overtime.
2. Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh Steelers
Lynn Swann is one of the greatest wide receivers of all time and a large part of that is due to how he performed in the four Super Bowls he won. Actually, Swann did not even record a single catch in his first Super Bowl against the Vikings in 1974, only to become the first wide receiver to win a Super Bowl MVP the very next year when he had four catches for 161 yards (fourth-most all time) and a TD in a 21-17 win over the Cowboys in Super Bowl X.
In fact, one of Swann’s most iconic catches (aside from the Immaculate Reception) happened in that game when he made a leaping catch on a tipped ball.
Swann would torture Dallas again three years later with a seven-catch, 124-yard game with a TD in Super Bowl XIII. He would score another TD in Super Bowl XIV, which he had five catches for 87 yards. Swann’s 364 career receiving yards in the Super Bowl is the second-most by a receiver and tied with tight end Rob Gronkowski. His 22.8 yards per reception over his four games is third all time, as are his three career TD catches.
1. Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders
The one and only GOAT at the wide receiver position is recognized as such for a reason. One of the reasons why Jerry Rice is considered the best wide receiver of all time is that he was the best to do it on the biggest stage.
Rice holds the career Super Bowl records for most receptions (33), most receiving yards (589), most receiving yards in a single game (215), most receiving TDs (8) and most receiving TDs in a game (3, which he did twice).
In all three Super Bowls he played in for the 49ers, Rice had at least 140 yards receiving. His best performance came in Super Bowl XXII, when he had 11 catches for 215 yards not only one touchdown. That performance won him the MVP. It is just tough to imagine another wide receiver putting up these kinds of numbers over the course of multiple Super Bowls.
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