There is no closer bond, than the bond between brothers. A bond that blooms in the face of adversity. The bond between a quarterback and their wide receiver. All jokes aside, a quarterback does have a favored wide receiver, who they put a great deal of faith in as a player and target during plays. So, it’s time to look at each quarterback in the NFL and their favored wide receiver to see which team makes the best pair.
32. Jared Goff And Breshad Perriman (Lions)
Breshad Perriman is on his sixth team in five years. He’s never looked like a top option at any point in his career, but he’ll be getting pressed hard with Jared Goff as his new quarterback. Goff hasn’t been doing particularly well either, with abysmal back-to-back seasons. Afte losing with the Rams at the Super Bowl in 2018, it’s almost like he lost his confidence.
31. Drew Lock And Courtland Sutton (Broncos)
Courtland Sutton is an amazing wide receiver, catching 72 passes for 1,112 yards and scoring 6 touchdowns. This even earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl. It’s just unfortunate that a torn ACL took him out for most of the season last year. Lock, on the other, has reached a career-low, throwing an NFL high of 15 interceptions to 16 touchdowns. His completion percentage went down to 57.3.
30. Zach Wilson And Corey Davis (Jets)
As the No. 2 draft pick, Wilson may be the one to finally give the Jets’ more than a mediocre quarterback. While a rookie to the NFL, his college stats are impressive, completing 73.5% of his passes for 3,700 yards and 33 touchdowns. Not to mention he rushed for 10 touchdowns himself. With Corey Davis coming in from Tennessee, if the wide receiver can show the same promise he did last season, Wilson may have a great target for his phenomenal arm.
29. Tua Tagovailoa And Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)
A pair of college football stars have been reunited in Miami. After an underwhelming season from Tagovailoa, the Dolphins opted to reunite him with Jaylen Waddle. While he’s already an explosive runner on his own, his teamwork and connection with Tagovailoa was evident from how well they played together while with the Crimson Tide.
28. Jalen Hurts And DeVonta Smith (Eagles)
Another team that opted to reunite players from their college days, whenever Hurts would throw to Smith, great plays would always happen. While Hurts is a rather skilled quarterback, his receivers don’t exactly match him. Smith will likely become the top receiver at the Eaglesm and hopefully be someone that can supports Hurts and his arm.
27. Cam Newton And Nelson Agholor (Patriots)
Cam Newton’s role as the Patriots’ starting quarterback may be under threat. He hasn’t exactly been playing particularly well, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, with a lower reception percentage of 65.8. However, he also didn’t have many good targets last season. Perhaps Nelson Agholor can help remedy that. While initially having more meager results in his earlier years, he’s since shown promise with the Raiders before finding himself in New England.
26. Deshaun Watson and Brandin Cooks (Texans)
Both Watson and Cooks are exceptional players. Watson can do plays that other quarterbacks could only dream of with any limb he wants. Cooks, too, is probably the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL right now. The pair’s lower ranking on this list is more so related to the fact that Watson is currently under criminal investigation, so he might not even get to play at all.
25. Jimmy Garoppolo And Brandon Aiyuk (49ers)
Jimmy Garroppolo had an abysmal season last year, only playing 6 games before an injury shut him down. Even during the games he did play, he played sloppily. With a rookie such as Trey Lance waiting in the wings, Garoppolo needs to get his act together this season. With Brandon Aiyuk as a receiver, that might make that goal at least a little easier. While the 49ers’ top receiver is tight end George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk is likely their best wide receiver. Garappolo would love throwing to a budding star like him.
24. Sam Darnold And D.J. Moore (Panthers)
Darnold certainly has talent, but he’s made too many mistakes in his past to succeed in the NFL, at least on his own. As a starting quarterback, his stats are average at best, with only a 59.8% completion percentage. Not to mention the 39 interceptions and the 20 fumbles. But that’s where his receivers come in. He’s got plenty of good targets in Christian MacCaffrey and Robby Anderson, but his favored target may very well be D.J. Moore. This speedster’s coming off of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, not to mention his solid 153 receptions.
23. Daniel Jones And Kenny Golladay (Giants)
While still in Detroit, Kenny Golladay made a name for himself by catching balls no matter the circumstances. Whether he was all alone or jumping over a defender, he would make sure to catch it. He only played 5 games in 2019 , but he still led the league with 11 touchdowns. His new quarterback, Daniel Jones, will certainly have a skilled receiver to work with. However, Jones’ skills may not match up to Golladay’s. Hopefully the Giants’ quarterback can improve now that Golladay’s in New York.
22. Jameis Winston And Michael Thomas (Saints)
Winston certainly has the skill to play at the NFL level, and has shown flashes of immense brilliance. In his 72 games, he’s thrown for 19,000 yards and tossed 121 touchdowns. However, he’s also thrown 88 interceptions, 30 of which were in 2019. Michael Thomas, his top target, is an elite receiver in the league when healthy. Unfortunately, he is not healthy. Having recently undergone surgery to repair his ankle, he may miss the first few weeks of the season.
21. Lamar Jackson And Marquise Brown (Ravens)
Brown certainly isn’t a a bad wide receiver, but in comparison to what was expected from him, his performance has been underwhelming. It’s really Brown that’s dragging this pair down. Jackson, himself, is still an incredibly skilled and well-rounded quarterback. Brown either needs to become of the top wide receivers in the league or Jackson needs one with a little bit more talent.
20. Derek Carr And Henry Ruggs III (Raiders)
While tight end Darren Waller is the star of the Raiders’ passing game, Ruggs has the potential to become one in his own right. He’s one of the fastest receivers in the NFL after all. While Carr and Ruggs don’t seem to have much of a connection, they do still make an efficient pair. They may be something to watch out for in this upcoming season.
19. Trevor Lawrence And DJ Chark (Jaguars)
Lawrence has yet to appear in an NFL game, but he was the No. 1 draft pick for a reason. He’s the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck and has cannon of an arm. His favored target, DJ Chark, is also a stud in his own right. He’s got excellent stats, getting over 1,000 yards and 73 catches in 2019. Lawrence may be the best quarterback he’s ever been paired with, allowing for them to make a devastating combo.
18. Andy Dalton And Allen Robinson (Bears)
Dalton may be five years removed from his last Pro Bowl berth, but he’s still got a lot of power in his arm. Proving himself a capable quarterback when he filled in for Dak Prescott with the Cowboys. As for Robinson, he’s managed to play two stellar seasons, despite having a pair of sub-standard quarterbacks. Dalton may be able to draw out his true potential in that case.
17. Carson Wentz And T.Y. Hilton (Colts)
With both Wentz and Hilton at Indianapolis for this season, they’ll either do fantastic or completely fall apart. They both have a history of doing really well, then falling apart at the last second. We’ll see how the two do well together.
16. Ben Roethlisberger And Diontae Johnson (Steelers)
This could be Roethlisberger’s last year with the Steelers. At 39 years old, he’d need to make an impressive showing to justify them holding on to him for another year, especially since there’s no clear replacement for him. And that’s where Diontae Johnson comes in. He’s clearly become Roethlisberger’s favored target and will be taking on a larger role in the Steelers’ offense.
15. Ryan Fitzpatrick And Terry McLaurin (Washington)
The quarterback of Washington’s football team can be rather prone to mistakes, he’s also not afraid to air it out. He’s definitely reliable when it comes to brining out the magic when it’s needed. His ability to let it fly meshes well with McLaurin, who’s able to torch defenders with his speed.
14. Joe Burrow And Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals)
It seems as though reuniting quarterbacks with a receiver from their college days has become a bit of a trend. Chase was brought on to replace A.J. Green, and he showed enough promise to justify the decision. Now it’s just a matter of Burrow and Chase being able to tap into their collegiate chemistry once again.
13. Baker Mayfield And Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns)
Both Mayfield and Beckham are skilled players, yet they don’t seem to gel particularly well with one another. OBJ in particular had a rather lackluster season after coming to Cleveland from New York. However, it’s possible that this might be the year where things finally come together, or else they might have to let go of their pricey receiver.
12. Matthew Stafford And Robert Woods (Rams)
After a pair of lackluster seasons from Jared Goff, coach Sean McVay finally decided to replace him with Matthew Stafford. This man has a cannon for an arm and has passed for over 4,000 yards 8 times in his career. Then there’s the reliable catch-passer in the form of Robert Woods. With Stafford now running the offense, Woods should get plenty more targets.
11. Kirk Cousins And Justin Jefferson (Vikings)
For the Vikings, when it comes to wide receivers, you can take your pick between Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. While Thielen is the established vet, Jefferson has proven to be a skilled addition to the Vikings’ offense. While Cousins must certainly love having such good targets to throw to, his favored one appears to be Jefferson.
10. Justin Herbert And Keenan Allen (Chargers)
Keenan Allen is an elite route runner that any team would be lucky to have on their side. Not to mention, they may have found the next NFL superstar quarterback in the form of Justin Herbert. Despite being a rookie, Herbert already showed the skills of a seasoned vet upon entering the NFL.
9. Ryan Tannehill And A.J. Brown (Titans)
Both Tannehill and Brown were new Tennessee, with Tannehill arriving from a trade and Brown coming from the draft. And the two have proven an elite duo since then. They racked up huge numbers working together. People underestimated Brown in particular, whose speed allows him to blow by defensive backs with the greatest of ease.
8. Matt Ryan And Calvin Ridley (Falcons)
With Julio Jones gone, Ridley is now the top wide receiver in Atlanta. He’s been a monster for the league, ever since joining the Falcons, and while he played second fiddle to Jones during his early years, he had since had the chance to prove himself. As Matt Ryan’s top target, the pair are a force to be reckoned with.
7. Dak Prescott And Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
Cooper started out as start right out of the draft with the Raiders, but soon fell from grace and was traded to the Cowboys due to his poorer showing in his third and fourth seasons. However, he managed to flip the script and get his act together, making sure that the Cowboys didn’t regret their decision. And of course, Cooper’s catching balls thrown by Dak Prescott, one of the premier playmakers in the NFL right now. He suffered a terrible leg injury in 2020, but has since recovered and is primed for another season this year.
6. Kyler Murray And DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals)
Kyler Murray may not strike you as a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, but it’s DeAndre Hopkins that propels this duo to this top spot. This wide receiver is an absolute beast, catching the ball if it’s anywhere within his vicinity.
5. Tom Brady And Mike Evans (Buccaneers)
It wouldn’t be surprising if Brady played into his late 40s. The man seems to live and breathe football. After a few more average years with the Patriots, he appeared to be completely reinvigorated after moving to Tampa Bay, leading the Bucs to a Super Bowl championship. And to help with Brady’s resurgence was Mike Evans. He’s one of the best wide receivers that Brady’s had the honor of playing with over many years.
4. Russell Wilson And DK Metcalf (Seahawks)
When Metcalf was first drafted by the Seahawks, everyone thought that it would take a year or two before he was truly ready for the NFL level. And boy were they wrong. He immediately proved himself a capable athlete and receiver, and his stats have increased every season demonstrably. And with his quarterback being one of the premier ones in the league, it’s no wonder the two of them make such an excellent pair.
3. Josh Allen And Stefon Diggs (Bills)
Allen used to be a great quarterback, but with no truly threatening receivers for him to pass to. That all changed when Stefon Diggs arrived. His stats skyrocketed from their previous numbers. And let’s not forget about Diggs’ skill either. His speed, sharp breaks, and clever route running also helped him to break his own records.
2. Patrick Mahomes And Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
Hill’s a good enough receiver already, but it’s just game over with Mahomes being the one throwing the ball to him. Hill in particular is an absolute nightmare for defense. His relatively small size just seems to make him even faster. If he’s not just running right by you, he’s snapping off of a route with lightning-quick reflexes. And considering the fact that Mahomes can make a throw anywhere on the field, as long as Hill get it, it’s game over for the other team.
1. Aaron Rodgers And Davante Adams (Packers)
The pair of Rodgers and Adams is so effective that, even if they can see the pass coming, there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Despite being 37, Rodgers is considered one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks, getting an MVP award. This may be their last year together, but they’ll certainly make the most of it.
