Top 10 QB-WR Duos: Where Do NFL's Newly Formed Combos Rank?

[Fox Sports NFL]

The 2025 season might have marked a changing of the guard in the NFL, and this offseason has seen plenty of shake-ups around the league, too. For years, three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes was viewed as the best quarterback in the NFL. But he's now recovering from an ACL tear, and his most reliable target, Travis Kelce, is 36 and could be playing in his final season. So, after forming arguably the best quarterback-receiver duo for multiple seasons, you won't see future Hall of Famers Mahomes and Kelce on a list of the top quarterback-receiver duos in the NFL entering 2026. With the Kansas City Chiefs stars dropping off the list, there's room for other top quarterback-receiving duos to make their way into the top 10, including a handful of newly formed combinations. As the offseason movement has largely settled, let's attempt to identify the top 10 quarterback-receiver duos with just over a month from the start of training camps in July. Yes, I understand the Minnesota Vikings have not officially named a starter in the two-man competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. But for this exercise, we’ll assume Murray will be the guy who emerges as the starter for Week 1. In this career reset for the Oklahoma product, Murray is paired with the best receiver he’s thrown to since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. And for Jefferson, he gets an elite thrower of the football who should more accurately connect with the LSU product on deep shots, while also providing the added dimension to distort the defense and create explosive plays on second reaction throws. Add to it one of the best playcallers in the league in head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings playing most of their games indoors, and we should see some fireworks on offense from Minnesota. The two-time NFL MVP was once again slowed by injuries last season, but Lamar Jackson finally has a No. 1 receiver option on the roster in Zay Flowers. The Boston College product finished seventh in the league in receiving yards (1,211) and eleventh in receptions last year (86). Last season, Flowers eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second time in his three-year NFL career, and at 25 years old, he still has room to grow as a receiver with the 29-year-old Jackson. Brock Purdy has had productive receivers over the years in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings. But his security blanket has been tight end George Kittle, particularly in the red zone. And while the most explosive receiver on the roster remains Ricky Pearsall, his most consistent and reliable pass catcher on the perimeter should be free agent addition Mike Evans. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer posted an NFL-record 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to begin his career. The concern for San Francisco will be how much Evans, who turns 33 in August, has left in the tank. With Mahomes coming off an injury, Josh Allen has taken the mantle as the most talented quarterback in the league right now. And while Khalil Shakir has shown that he can be a highly productive receiver in the slot, the addition of Moore via trade gives Allen the potential for his most productive receiver on the perimeter since Stefon Diggs left three years ago. Moore hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiving season since 2023, but if he can stay healthy, that should change this season. Specifically, Allen will do a good job of getting the ball out quickly in space to Moore, allowing him to create big plays after the catch with his elite ability to make defenders miss in space. Drake Maye played well enough to finish one vote shy of winning MVP last season in only his second year as a pro, and that was with Stefon Diggs as his most talented receiver. Now, the addition of Brown gives New England one of the best receivers in the league and should open things up for the rest of the offense. Specifically, Brown’s ability to consistently win on contested catches down the field will create more explosive plays for the extremely accurate Maye. Also, Brown’s 21 receiving touchdowns over the last three seasons are tied for ninth in the NFL over that stretch. He should improve New England’s ability to consistently get into the end zone, particularly in the red zone, in the passing game. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the best slot receiver in the league, and Jared Goff has created a unique chemistry with the USC product. St. Brown has produced a league-high 33 receiving touchdowns over the last three seasons. And Goff’s ability to deliver the ball on time and on target has been a primary reason for St. Brown’s success. St. Brown led all receivers with 59 catches for 618 yards and five touchdowns while aligned from the slot, according to Next Gen Stats. George Pickens was the most productive receiver for Dallas last year in his first season with the Cowboys, finishing with career highs in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and receiving touchdowns (9). However, Dak Prescott has built a stronger rapport with CeeDee Lamb because of their time together. Prescott and Lamb were particularly effective connecting on deep shots. Lamb finished with 12 receptions for 454 yards on catches of 20-plus yards or more, according to Next Gen Stats. Only Jaxon Smith-Njigba (13 receptions for 542 yards) had better numbers. Speaking of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, this past season's NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and his quarterback, Sam Darnold, land here. The Ohio State product set franchise single-season records for receptions (119) and receiving yards (1,793) in 2025. The 1,793 receiving yards are the eighth-most in league history, and his nine 100-yard games led the league during the regular season. Darnold and Smith-Njigba quickly developed chemistry after the QB signed with Seattle last offseason. Darnold and Smith-Njigba connected 31 times for 723 yards and six touchdowns on play-action last season (18.1 yards per attempt), making them the only quarterback-receiver duo to have combined for more than 700 such yards in a season during the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). Teammates who won a national championship together at LSU, Burrow and Chase developed into the gold standard for quarterback and receiver tandem in the NFL. Chase won the triple crown as the league’s top receiver in 2021, leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17). Over the last three seasons, Chase is tops in receptions (352), receiving yards (4,336) and 32 touchdown receptions. Only St. Brown (33) has more touchdowns during that time. And since he entered the league in 2020, Burrow leads the league in completion percentage (68.5%), is third in passer rating (101.5) and is seventh in passing touchdowns (157). Matthew Stafford won the league’s MVP award last season for the first time in his 17-year NFL career, dominating the stat sheet. He led the NFL in touchdown passes (46), passing yards (4,707) and finished second in passer rating (109.2). While Davante Adams led the league in touchdown receptions (14), Stafford has developed a potent rapport with the acrobatic catching style of Puka Nacua, who posted the second-most receiving yards by a player in their first three seasons in NFL history, trailing only Justin Jefferson (4,825). In 2025, Nacua finished second in receiving yards (1,715) and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (10). Honorable mentions: Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix and WR Courtland Sutton; Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin; Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams and WR Rome Odunze; Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and WR Xavier Worthy; Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert and WR Ladd McConkey.

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