Ranking the NFL's best QB-wide receiver tandems

The 2021 NFL Draft left us bubbling with anticipation over some of the newly-formed quarterback-receiver tandems set to compete together in the upcoming season.

Second-year Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow gained his old LSU teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, with the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft, while the Miami Dolphins went after Tua Tagovailoa’s former Alabama counterpart, wideout Jaylen Waddle.

Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, DaVonta Smith, will also play with one of his college quarterbacks in Philadelphia. Eagles starter Jalen Hurts spent two seasons launching passes to Smith at Alabama.

While these QB-receiver duos will make for primetime viewing in the fall, they have a long way to go to match the production and chemistry of the NFL’s most elite offensive pairings.

With that in mind, let’s rank the current five best quarterback-wide receiver tandems ahead of the 2021 NFL season.

5. Tom Brady and Mike Evans

With a star-studded offense like Tampa Bay’s, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady has an assortment of receivers he can look to on any one play. Yet, when it comes to putting points on the board, no player was a more reliable target than Mike Evans in 2020.

The seven-year NFL veteran hauled in a career-high 13 touchdown catches, which was the fourth most in the league, and recorded his seventh straight 1,000-yard season last year – his first with Brady as his quarterback.

The Bucs were the second-best passing offense in the league in 2020, and even at the age of 42, Brady threw for the third most yards (4,633) and second most touchdowns (40).

Often the subject of double-teams, Evans led the Buccaneers in targets (109) and receptions (70), and accounted for a team-high 55 receiving first downs. 

In one short season, the Brady-Evans pairing paid off swiftly in the form of a Super Bowl title and should continue to demolish opposing defenses in the upcoming season.

4. Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill

Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City is another team brimming with talent on offense. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a stud in his own right, but with receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce, and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire at his disposal, the Chiefs offense is arguably the most dangerous in the league.

While Kelce ranked ahead of Hill in yards (1,416 compared to 1,276) and targets (145 compared to 135) last season, no deep threat is as terrifying as the Mahomes-Hill connection.

One of the fastest receivers in the league, Hill averaged a team-high 14.7 yards per reception and led the Chiefs with 15 touchdown catches, the second most in the NFL.

Kansas City owned the league's best passing offense in 2020, due in no small part to Hill's presence on the field.

3. Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins

Before last season, DeAndre Hopkins made up one of the most prolific tandems in football while playing with Deshaun Watson at the Houston Texans.

Then, a lopsided trade sent Hopkins to Arizona to work alongside 2019 Rookie of the Year Kyler Murray, and the two quickly created their own magic on the gridiron.

In Week 10, the pair had the sports world gawking, after Hopkins reeled in a deep pass in the end zone, while surrounded by three defenders, to defeat the Buffalo Bills, 32-30, on the final play of the game.

The "Hail Murray" wasn't Hopkins' only highlight-reel moment of the season. Murray's trusty No. 1 receiver put on a show the entire year, on the way to ranking second in the league in targets (160), receptions (115), receiving first downs (75), and broken tackles on reception (15), as well as third in total receiving yards (1,407).

2. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams

The Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams partnership may soon become a thing of the past, depending on Rodgers' decision to play another season in Green Bay.

Should the reigning, three-time league MVP decide to suit up for Week 1, he and Adams will immediately ignite fear in opposing defenses. 

Last year, Rodgers led the league in touchdown passes with 48, 18 of which went to Adams. The four-time Pro Bowl receiver also tallied 1,374 receiving yards, which ranked fifth in the league and was double the amount generated by second-leading Green Bay receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Adams also tied for the second most receptions (115) in the NFL. The second-most targeted Packers player only had 33 catches.

Defenses knew to key in on Adams and still could not stop him and Rodgers from piling up yards and points.

As a testament to how special this pairing is, in Week 16, Rodgers and Adams made franchise history when the two connected for their 492nd completion. That number beat out a record set by Brett Favre and receiver Donald Driver, who connected for 486 completions across nine seasons.

1. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs

The Buffalo Bills' trade for Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs yielded instant success for the Super Bowl-starved franchise.

As Buffalo's No. 1 receiver, Diggs helped transform Josh Allen into an MVP-caliber quarterback, who ranked top five in the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards, touchdown passes, and completions.

Diggs also topped the league in receiving yards (1,535), targets (166), and receptions (127), while the Bills went from a bottom 10 offense in 2019 to the second best (396.4 yards per game) in 2020.

The offensive upgrade helped Buffalo tie a franchise-best 13-3 record and reach the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1993.

You can expect more of the same success in 2021. Allen is the +1000 second choice to win NFL MVP, while Diggs is a +15000 longshot candidate.

The pair was so successful last season that title hopes abound in Buffalo. The Bills own the third lowest odds to win Super Bowl LVI, behind Kansas City and Tampa Bay.