It's now been 11 seasons since then-Detroit Lions wide receiver and now-Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson set the single-season record for receiving yards. The man they call "Megatron" racked up an outrageous 1,964 yards during the 2012 campaign, which was his second consecutive season leading the league in receiving.
In the years since then, three different wideouts have come within 150 yards of breaking Johnson's record, with Cooper Kupp coming the closest by falling just 17 yards shy in 2021. (It's worth noting that Johnson and Kupp had the same quarterback -- Matthew Stafford -- for their 1,900-plus-yard seasons, which are the only two such seasons in league history.) According to Johnson, it won't be too much longer before someone actually gets over the top.
"I mean, it's bound to fall at some point the way it's going, so it is what it is," Johnson said, via The Detroit Free Press. "I held it down, I don't know even know how long, over a decade now."
One reason Johnson thinks the record will go by the wayside soon is that, well, players now have an extra game with which to add to their yardage total. That additional game is the most important factor, along with the fact that the league has been consistently tweaking the rules in favor of offenses -- and specifically passing games.
"They want more offense, man, so at some point (it's going to happen)," Johnson said. "You got to be healthy. You got to play really a full 17 now. … That's the key. You got to be healthy. If you can play 17, guys have put up numbers, you're going to put up numbers. That 17, you get that extra game to put another 150 or 200 (yards)."
Players like Tyreek Hill (1,799 yards in 16 games last season), CeeDee Lamb (1,749) and Justin Jefferson (1,809 in 2022) stand out as candidates to eventually surpass Johnson's total. Ja'Marr Chase could get there as well, if he stays healthy, and especially if Tee Higgins leaves the Bengals after the 2024 season and Chase takes on an even larger role in the offense. And the way things are going, maybe an unexpected candidate could step up and take the crown. As Johnson said, it's likely only a matter of time.
