Wide receiver is one of the NFL’s deepest positions in free agency, with two of the top five overall available players and a slew of former stars who have changed teams in the past year. The best young receivers from the 2021 draft — Ja’Marr Chase, Nico Collins, Amon-Ra St. Brown, DeVonta Smith — are already extended or on fifth-year options, but there’s no shortage of familiar names with 1,000-yard seasons on their résumés.
Here are the top 10 receivers available in free agency, with 10 more who will also hit the open market.
(Top-100 ranking in parentheses)
RELATED: Top 100 2025 NFL free agents: Tee Higgins, Sam Darnold lead the way
10. Dyami Brown, Commanders (NR)
Brown, 25, had more receptions (30) this season than in his first three years combined, and he took another big step in Washington’s postseason, catching 14 passes for 229 yards and a score in three playoff games. He had a 75% catch rate in 2024 and has 4.46 speed, so he’s a rare 2021 draft pick still on the upswing in this free-agent receiver class.
9. KaVontae Turpin, Cowboys (NR)
The 28-year-old Turpin might be the most intriguing restricted free agent in the league. As arguably the NFL’s most dangerous kick returner and a developing receiver, he’d have considerable outside interest. Can the Cowboys afford to give him the second-round tender at $5.2 million — meaning if he left, that team would owe Dallas a second-round pick? If the Cowboys go with the lower tender, Turpin will get a compelling offer sheet from another team that Dallas might not be able to match.
8. Darius Slayton, Giants (77)
Slayton is good but rarely great, and the arrival of Malik Nabers in New York dropped him to 39 catches and two touchdowns in 2024. His career 15.0 yards per catch shows he can still get downfield. With a rookie quarterback possible with the Giants, does Slayton try to go somewhere else as a No. 2 receiver? Don’t discount the chance he goes wherever Daniel Jones lands.
7. Marquise Brown, Chiefs (60)
Time and time again, Patrick Mahomes praised Brown’s versatility and diverse route-running. And yet we never saw him eclipse 50 yards in any of his five appearances for the Chiefs. Maybe because his stats were so underwhelming, the Chiefs will get a discount to run it back with Brown. It’s possible that his shoulder injury led to the limited production, so it’s possible he’ll be much better and healthier next year. But it’s notable when a player goes to the Chiefs and sees a downturn in production. That’s not usually a good sign.
6. Keenan Allen, Bears (53)
Allen joined the Bears in an offseason trade for a fourth-round pick after spending his first 11 NFL seasons with the Chargers. Brought in to serve as an experienced slot receiver for rookie Caleb Williams, the 32-year-old Cal product finished with 70 receptions for 744 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. If he doesn’t stay in Chicago, Allen has said he’d like to return to Los Angeles, either with the Bolts or the Rams.
5. DeAndre Hopkins, Chiefs (49)
Over his final four games, he had five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. That’s in part because the offense saw Hollywood Brown come back from injury and Xavier Worthy emerge as the go-to guy. But it was also because Hopkins looked like an afterthought in the offense. The Chiefs needed him desperately when they traded for him in midseason and, in turn, fed him targets. He managed just 10.7 yards per catch, the lowest of his career. Vintage DeAndre is long gone. The 32-year-old is a possession receiver who should probably be the third option in an offense.
4. Amari Cooper, Bills (30)
After a midseason trade, Cooper didn’t find his way in Buffalo’s offense. In his absence in Cleveland, Jerry Jeudy emerged in a way that we really hadn’t seen in his career. All that reflected poorly on Cooper. Given what we’ve seen of the receiver market, however, Cooper will find an optimistic team that thinks the 30-year-old still has juice. He’s just one year removed from a 1,000-yard season and, in 2024, he had to contend with bad Browns QBs — and then midseason acclimation to a new playbook. If you squint, you can still see a high-end WR2 and maybe even a low-end WR1.
3. Stefon Diggs, Texans (18)
Here’s a tricky guy for scouts to evaluate. The Bills said goodbye to Diggs before the draft last year, perhaps because they spotted the receiver’s declining talents. Once in Houston, Diggs looked fine as a WR2 before tearing his ACL in Week 8. At age 31, it’s unlikely he’ll be a WR1 again, so he’ll likely need to find a spot where he can settle behind an alpha in a prolific offense. How about the Commanders, for example?
2. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers (4)
Godwin, who turns 29 in February, is much like Mike Evans — a team leader and steady contributor who wants to stay with the Bucs. Much like three years ago, he’s coming off a major injury (dislocated left ankle) as he enters free agency. It’ll take more than the three-year, $60 million deal he got then to keep him, but it also can’t be too much more than they’re paying Evans (AAV: $20.5 million). Aside from Higgins, Godwin is the best receiver available. Will a new team pay him $25 million a year or more as a No. 1 after such consistent success as Tampa Bay’s No. 2?
1. Tee Higgins, Bengals (1)
As if the Bengals didn’t have enough contractual conflicts with their players, Higgins is slated to be the top free agent. And because Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson are looking for lucrative extensions (and Cincy is a notoriously cheap organization), there’s an outside shot that Higgins will hit free agency — even if he’s worthy of a franchise tag, just to retain him (and maybe even trade him). He may be the WR2 for the Bengals, but he’d be the No. 1 option for about 20 other teams. Not only does he check the box of what everyone wants (a young receiver entering his prime), but the 2025 market doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of receivers. This year, more than ever, Higgins is a rare entity.
10 MORE NAMES TO WATCH: Tyler Boyd, Titans; DJ Chark, Chargers; Brandin Cooks, Cowboys; Mack Hollins, Bills; Diontae Johnson, Ravens; Elijah Moore, Jets; Josh Palmer, Chargers; Demarcus Robinson, Rams; Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans; Mike Williams, Steelers.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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