Rams receiver Cooper Kupp threatened the NFL single-season receiving record in 2021. Vikings star Justin Jefferson had an outside chance to break the record as late as Week 18 in 2022. Now, Tyreek Hill has his sights set on finishing the job.
The Dolphins wideout declared during the offseason that he would not only break the record but reach the 2,000-yard mark. "I will break 2,000 yards next year, bro," Hill said on his podcast. "Two thousand yards was on my bucket list to get before I leave this league -- 2,000 yards and another Super Bowl -- and we getting that. Believe that."
The expansion of the regular season schedule, plus the NFL's ridiculous number of impressive receivers, has put that mark within reach. To Hill's credit, he posted 215 yards in a Week 1 win over the Chargers, reminding fans that his guarantee shouldn't be laughed off.
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Here's a closer look at the single-season receiving yards record and whether Hill has a realistic chance of getting there.
What is the NFL single-season receiving yards record?
The single-season receiving yards record belongs to Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, who finished with 1,964 yards for Detroit in 2012. That cleared the previous record, which belonged to Jerry Rice, by more than 100 yards (1,848 in 1995).
Other players have come fairly close since then, starting with seasons of 1,800 yards by both Julio Jones and Antonio Brown. Once the schedule expanded in 2021, Kupp (1,947 yards) and Jefferson (1,809 yards) both took aim at the record before falling short.
Can Tyreek Hill reach 2,000 yards?
It's not impossible for Hill to reach 2,000 yards by any means, but the journey won't be easy. First, it will require a fully healthy season by Hill. He hasn't missed a game due to injury since 2019, so that makes his outlook instantly better than any receiver who comes with injury concerns.
Over a 17-game season, a receiver needs to average 117.6 yards per game to reach 2,000 yards. Just averaging 100 yards per game is exceptionally difficult, though Hill did it last year on his way to 1,710 yards.
The good news for Hill is that he lessened the burden a bit with his excellent Week 1 performance. Over the final 16 games, Hill now needs to average 111.6 yards per game.
By the numbers, reaching 2,000 yards is far from likely. Hill was targeted 15 times in Week 1, which puts him on pace for 255 targets over 17 games. Hill's career-high in targets is only 170. He also averaged 19.5 yards per catch, which would easily be a career-best mark over a full season.
Hill doesn't need to go for 215 yards every week, but he will need Tua Tagovailoa to both stay healthy and target him more than ever before.
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NFL single-season receiving yards leaders
| Place | Player | Yards | Year |
| 1 | Calvin Johnson | 1,964 | 2012 |
| 2 | Cooper Kupp | 1,947 | 2021 |
| 3 | Julio Jones | 1,871 | 2015 |
| 4 | Jerry Rice | 1,848 | 1995 |
| 5 | Antonio Brown | 1,834 | 2015 |
| 6 | Justin Jefferson | 1,809 | 2022 |
| 7 | Isaac Bruce | 1,781 | 1995 |
| 8 | Charley Hennigan | 1,746 | 1961 |
| 9 | Michael Thomas | 1,725 | 2019 |
| 10 | Marvin Harrison | 1,722 | 2022 |
