List of NFL annual receptions leaders
In American football, passing, along with running, is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play. The act of catching a forward pass is a reception. The number of receptions each player makes is a recorded statistic in football games. In addition to the overall National Football League receiving champion, league record books recognize statistics from the American Football League, which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. The NFL also recognizes the statistics of the All-America Football Conference, which operated from 1946 to 1949 before three of its teams were merged into the NFL, since 2025. Previously, these statistics were recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. The total receptions of the leader has increased over time due to the increase of the number of games within an NFL season as well as the increase in the prevalence of passing in the NFL. Don Hutson led the league in receptions a record eight times. The first NFL player to record over 100 receptions in a season was Art Monk in 1984; Lionel Taylor and Charlie Hennigan had accomplished the feat in the AFL in 1961 and 1964 respectively. The NFL record for single-season receptions has changed on 15 occasions, with Michael Thomas holding the current record of 149 receptions set in 2019.
NFL annual receptions leaders
| Symbol | Meaning |
| Leader | The player who recorded the most receptions in the NFL |
| Rec | The total number of receptions the player had |
| GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
| Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| ^ | Active player |
| * | Set the single-season receptions record |
| Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
AAFC annual receptions leaders
| Symbol | Meaning |
| Leader | The player who recorded the most receptions in the AAFC |
| Rec | The total number of receptions the player had |
| GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame member | |
| * | Player set the single-season receptions record |
| Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
| Season | Player | Team | |||
| 1946 | 40* | 14 | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 1946 | 40* | 14 | Cleveland Browns | ||
| 1947 | 67* | 14 | Cleveland Browns | ||
| 1948 | 58 | 12 | Cleveland Browns | ||
| 1949 | 62 | 12 | Cleveland Browns |
AFL annual receptions leaders
| Season | Leader | Team | |||
| 1960 [American Football League season|1960] | 92* | 12 | Denver Broncos | ||
| 1961 | 100* | 14 | Denver Broncos | ||
| 1962 | 77 | 14 | Denver Broncos | ||
| 1963 | 78 | 14 | Denver Broncos | ||
| 1964 | 101* | 14 | Houston Oilers | ||
| 1965 | 85 | 14 | Denver Broncos | ||
| 1966 | 73 | 13 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| 1967 | 74 | 14 | New York Jets | ||
| 1968 | 68 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| 1969 | 64 | 14 | San Diego Chargers |