That ship has come and gone with the Rams signing Davante Adams and the Pittsburgh Steelers trading for DK Metcalf – perhaps for new quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Even in what was an incredibly weak class of free agents, there are several “proven” receivers available midway through Day 2 of free agency. The problem is they proved their talents long ago and no longer are No. 1 receivers.
If general manager Brian Gutekunst woke up on Tuesday contemplating adding a receiver, here are some options. (Ages as of Week 1 are in parenthesis.)
Amari Cooper, Bills (31): Cooper is the new best receiver available, according to one NFL executive. In 2022 and 2023 with the Browns, he caught 150 passes for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2024, he caught 44 passes for the Browns and Bills. When Buffalo needed him to make a run to the Super Bowl, he was a total nonfactor with six catches for 41 yards in three postseason games. Of 84 receivers targeted at least 50 times, he had the fourth-highest drop rate – just behind Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks – and caught 5-of-18 deep passes. Only 11 receivers had a worse YAC average than Cooper’s 2.7.
Stefon Diggs, Texans (31): After four consecutive seasons of 100-plus catches and 1,100-plus yards, Diggs joined the Texans and had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games before a torn ACL. His drop rate was just 4.1 percent and he caught 4-of-7 deep passes. His 75.8 percent catch rate ranked 11th in the NFL and No. 1 among the free agents. When targeted, he rewarded C.J. Stroud with a 108.0 passer rating, also No. 1 among the free agents
DeAndre Hopkins, Chiefs (33): Hopkins went from 75 catches for 1,057 yards with the Titans in 2023 to a combined 56 receptions for 610 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games (six with Tennessee, 10 with Kansas City) in 2024. The Chiefs hoped he’d be a missing piece on offense for their three-peat but he had three catches for 29 yards in three playoff games. However: His drop rate was just 3.4 percent, he rewarded his QBs with a 105.2 passer rating (second-best among the free agents), he caught 5-of-11 deep passes and his 71.8 percent catch rate ranked 17th. His 2.0 YAC per catch was the worst in the league. Those 610 receiving yards? That ranked 52nd among receivers but it’s second among the free-agent receivers.
Keenan Allen, Bears (33): With rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, Allen in 15 games caught 70 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. The 744 yards ranked 39th among receivers but No. 1 among the free agents. He hasn’t averaged even 12 yards per catch since 2018. His drop rate was 10.3 percent, which was 70th out of 84 receivers who were targeted 50 times, and he caught 6-of-22 deep passes. His yards per route went from 2.36 with the Chargers in 2023 to 1.36 in 2024.
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks (32): Age waits for nobody, especially 5-foot-10, 180-pound receivers. After four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2019 through 2022, Lockett in 17 games in 2024 caught 49 passes for 600 yards and two touchdowns. His 70.0 percent catch rate ranked 24th. He caught 5-of-12 deep passes and averaged just 2.7 YAC.
Brandin Cooks, Cowboys (31): Cooks had six 1,000-yard seasons in a span of seven years but has fallen short of 700 yards the last three seasons. With Dallas in 2024, he caught 26 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. His 0.89 yards per route was third-worst among receivers and his 52.0 percent catch rate was fifth-worst. He is neither a deep threat (1-of-9) nor a YAC threat (2.2 average; only three receivers were worse) but has just one drop with 80 catches the last two years.
Mecole Hardman, Chiefs (27): A second-round pick in 2019, Hardman caught 59 passes for the Chiefs in 2021 but just 26 passes for 208 yards in his return to Kansas City the last two seasons. He’s primarily used in the screen game; he wasn’t targeted on a single deep pass the last two seasons. For his career, he’s averaged 8.3 YAC.
Mike Williams, Steelers (30): Williams was the seventh pick of the 2017 draft. He had 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2021 but a total of 40 catches for 547 yards and two touchdowns the last two seasons. He did catch 5-of-11 deep targets and 7-of-10 contested-catch opportunities, and he had only one drop (4.5 percent) in 2024. He’s still 6-foot-4.
Noah Brown, Commanders (29): Brown caught 35 passes for 453 yards and one touchdown in his lone season in Washington. He played in 11 games with nine starts; he missed 18 games the last four seasons. He caught 3-of-9 deep passes, averaged a paltry 2.5 YAC and had only two drops (5.4 percent). At 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, he does bring size to the party.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Saints (30): If replacing Christian Watson’s deep speed is vital, then maybe there should be a reunion between the Packers and MVS. Valdes-Scantling, who led the NFL with 20.9 yards per reception in 2020, averaged 22.6 yards per catch during his eight games with the Saints. Between Buffalo and New Orleans, he caught 19 passes for 411 yards (21.6 average). He did catch only 4-of-18 deep passes, though. He was 1-of-10 on contested catches and had three drops (13.6 percent; his fourth seasons of at least 10 percent).
Demarcus Robinson, Rams (30): Robinson caught 31 passes for 505 yards, setting career highs with 16.3 yards per catch and seven touchdowns. His 51.7 percent catch rate, 0.99 yards per route and 2.5 YAC per catch ranked among the NFL’s worst. He did catch 7-of-21 deep passes but, with 4.59 speed in the 40, he’s not exactly a burner.
Diontae Johnson, Ravens (29): Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns with Carolina. He was traded to the Ravens, who were looking for a boost for a potential Super Bowl run, but he caught one pass for 6 yards in four games before he was released. The Texans, looking to jump-start their Super Bowl hopes, picked him up and he caught two passes for 12 yards before he was released again. The Ravens re-signed him, if only to score a compensatory pick. Johnson is young-ish but his only 1,000-yard season came in 2021 and his 2024 might make him toxic. Of 84 receivers to be targeted 50 times, his 50.0 percent catch rate ranked 83rd.