It has been over a decade since Detroit Lions legend and former wide receiver Calvin Johnson set a single-season NFL record for the most receiving yards with 1,964, but he doesn't expect that record to stand much longer.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp came the closest to Johnson's mark in 2021, when he tallied 1,947 yards. Interestingly enough, the same quarterback who helped Johnson get the record in 2012, Matthew Stafford, was the one throwing to Kupp that season.
Johnson recently spoke to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and said his record is "bound to fall at some point."
“I mean, it’s bound to fall at some point the way it’s going so it is what it is,” Johnson said. “I held it down, I don’t know even know how long, over a decade now.”
“They want more offense, man, so at some point (it’s going to happen),” Johnson added. “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).”
The fact that throwing the football has become even more important in this day and age in the NFL only increases the chances that Johnson's record will be broken, but also aiding that is the fact that the league has moved to a 17-game schedule, and 18 games could be on the horizon.
Of course, Johnson broke the record in a 16-game season, which will always make his mark extra impressive. Whoever breaks the record down the road will add more credibility to the feat if they can do it one game early.
