The list of players with the most career receiving yards in Super Bowl history isn't quite as prolific as that of the greatest quarterbacks or running backs, but you know the names – especially the guys at the top.
It's a foregone conclusion San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice will lead this category for years – if not decades – to come, but second place is very much up for grabs in the coming Super Bowls. One more appearance by Chiefs tight end extraordinaire Travis Kelce will almost certainly move him into the No. 2 slot, and other worthy challengers might very well step up if another team enjoys a dynasty similar to that of Kansas City.
Let's dig into the list of players who have racked up the most receiving yards all-time in Super Bowl history.
All-Time Super Bowl Receiving Yards Leaders
| Rank | Player | Appearances | Receiving Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |   Jerry Rice* |
4 | 589 |
| T2 |   Rob Gronkowski |
5 | 364 |
| T2 |  Lynn Swann* |
4 | 364 |
| 4 |  Travis Kelce** |
4 | 350 |
| 5 | Julian Edelman |
4 | 337 |
| 6 |  Andre Reed* |
4 | 323 |
| 7 | Deion Branch |
3 | 321 |
| 8 | Danny Amendola |
3 | 278 |
| 9 | John Stallworth* |
4 | 268 |
| 10 |  Michael Irvin* |
3 | 256 |
*Pro Football Hall of Famer
**Active
Editor's Note: Super Bowls below are listed as part of the NFL season, not the date the game was played. For example, Super Bowl XXIII took place on Jan. 22, 1989, but was the last game of the 1988 NFL postseason.
1. Jerry Rice (589 yards)
- Super Bowl XXIII (1988): 215 yards
- Super Bowl XXIV (1989): 148 yards
- Super Bowl XXIX (1994): 149 yards
- Super Bowl XXVII (2002): 77 yards
Thinking about what it would take to unseat Rice as the king of Super Bowl receiving yards? Okay then.
For a receiver to reach these lofty heights, he'd either need to average 118 yards over five Super Bowl games, 147.5 yards over four Super Bowl appearances or 196.4 yards (!) if he participates in just three Super Bowls. Even if a receiver is somehow fortunate enough to appear in six Super Bowls (and none have in NFL history), he'd need to somehow average 98.2 yards per NFL championship game.
We don't see any of those things happening anytime soon – one more reason why Rice is unquestionably the greatest receiver of all time.
T2. Rob Gronkowski (364 yards)
- Super Bowl XLVI (2011): 26 yards
- Super Bowl XLIX (2014): 68 yards
- Super Bowl LII (2017): 116 yards
- Super Bowl LIII (2018): 87 yards
- Super Bowl LV (2020): 67 yards
Before he was missing field goals as part of FanDuel's Kick of Destiny, Gronk was on the right side of Super Bowl history as the most prolific tight end in NFL championships.
In addition to gracing fans with five Super Bowl Gronk spikes (the second-most TDs in the Big Game's history), Gronkowski averaged a healthy 72.8 yards over his five Super Bowl appearances, including a career-best 116 yards and two touchdowns in the New England Patriots' 41-33 loss to Philadelphia at Super Bowl LII in 2018.
Kelce is primed to surpass Gronkowski as the best-ever tight end in this category, but that won't diminish Gronk's immense contributions to New England's incredible title era.
T2. Lynn Swann (364 yards)
- Super Bowl IX (1974): 0 yards
- Super Bowl X (1975): 161 yards
- Super Bowl XIII (1978): 124 yards
- Super Bowl XIV (1979): 79 yards
You won't find two elite Super Bowl receiving threats more different than Gronkowski and wide receiver Lynn Swann – and yet, they'll forever be linked in Super Bowl history, finishing with an identical number of receiving yards in NFL title games.
After being blanked in his Super Bowl debut, Swann made up for it with emphasis the following year, racking up 161 receiving yards and a score in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 21-17 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys. He was sensational in Pittsburgh's next back-to-back title run, combining for 203 yards and two TDs in Super Bowl XIII and XIV victories.
Swann might not share the same oxygen as Rice in the wideout echelon, but he's clearly one of the best to ever do it – especially in the biggest games of all.
4. Travis Kelce (350 yards)
- Super Bowl LIV (2019): 43 yards
- Super Bowl LV (2020): 133 yards
- Super Bowl LVII (2022): 81 yards
- Super Bowl LVIII (2023): 93 yards
Kelce is an extreme long shot to challenge Rice for the No. 1 spot on this list, but it should only take one more Super Bowl trip to move him into second place.
The future Hall of Fame tight end has been one of the key figures in Kansas City's modern-day dynasty, serving as QB Patrick Mahomes' top target while averaging nearly 90 yards over his four career Super Bowl appearances. His best showing came in defeat, as he compiled 133 scoreless yards in the Chiefs' 31-9 loss to Tampa Bay at Super Bowl LV.
Between his highly successful podcast with brother Jason and his much-publicized relationship with Taylor Swift, Kelce is well-positioned for life after football – a future that might be here soon. But as long as he still wears No. 87, Kelce is a legitimate threat to become the runner-up to Rice in Super Bowl receiving yards.
5. Julian Edelman (337 yards)
- Super Bowl XLVI (2011): 0 yards
- Super Bowl XLIX (2014): 109 yards
- Super Bowl LI (2016): 87 yards
- Super Bowl LII (2018): 141 yards
The Patriots' Super Bowl receiving tree has so many branches beyond Gronkowski (including a literal Branch, nailed it). When it comes to NFL championship performances from wide receivers, nobody gained more real estate on Tom Brady throws than Julian Edelman.
After being shut out in the Patriots' Super Bowl XLVI loss to the N.Y. Giants, Edelman became a force in Super Bowl action, snagging 24 passes for 337 yards and a touchdown over New England's next three NFL title game appearances (all victories). The highlight: 10 catches for 141 yards in a 13-3 win over the L.A. Rams at Super Bowl LIII, earning MVP honors.
The respect between Brady and Edelman is palatable, and with good reason. Brady retired as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but he doesn't hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy seven times if it weren't for Edelman's Super Bowl heroics.
6. Andre Reed (323 yards)
- Super Bowl XXV (1990): 62 yards
- Super Bowl XXVI (1991): 34 yards
- Super Bowl XXVII (1992): 152 yards
- Super Bowl XXVIII (1993): 75 yards
The Bills might still be looking for their first Super Bowl victory (sorry, Buffalo fans), but their four straight NFL title game appearances in the early 1990s yielded some impressive all-time stats for the team's key offensive players.
Buffalo wide receiver Andre Reed was a seven-time Pro Bowl who thrived as a postseason threat, averaging better than 80 yards in those four Bills' defeats. But he never reached the end zone in a Super Bowl game after scoring a combined 27 receiving touchdowns in those four regular seasons.
Reed is a deserving Hall of Famer after scorching opposing teams for more than 13,000 receiving yards and 87 TDs in 234 career games with Buffalo and Washington. But that resume would have looked even better with a Super Bowl win on it.
7. Deion Branch (321 yards)
- Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003): 143 yards
- Super Bowl XXXIX (2004): 133 yards
- Super Bowl XLVI (2011): 45 yards
Deion Branch was a good but not great regular-season receiver, with a single-season high water mark of 998 yards and just 39 total receiving scores over 11 seasons. But he'll forever be immortalized for playing a significant role in the Patriots' back-to-back Super Bowl triumphs in 2003 and 2004.
Branch's 10-143-1 line in Super Bowl XXXVIII provided Brady with the offensive spark he needed to lead the Patriots past the Carolina Panthers 32-29, and he became just the fourth wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP honors with an 11-133-0 performance in New England's 24-21 victory over Philadelphia at Super Bowl XXXIX.
Having Brady throwing you passes will certainly enhance your Football Reference page, but let's not minimize the skill Branch brought to the table en route to two of the greatest receiving performances in Super Bowl history.
8. Danny Amendola (278 yards)
- Super Bowl XLIX (2014): 48 yards
- Super Bowl LI (2016): 78 yards
- Super Bowl LII (2017): 152 yards
Hey, another Patriots receiver! And another veteran who looked ordinary during the season (6,212 yards and 24 TDs in 163 regular-season games) but transformed into a Hall of Fame-caliber player in February.
Danny Amendola scored touchdowns in each of his first two Super Bowl appearances, and added 152 scoreless yards in the loss to Philadelphia in his final NFL championship game. Alas, unlike Branch and Edelman, Amendola never won Super Bowl MVP (and has blamed Brady for that omission from his career ledger).
Having to "settle" for a pair of Super Bowl rings seems like a decent consolation – especially for a wideout that never topped 700 yards or five TDs in a season.
9. John Stallworth (268 yards)
- Super Bowl IX (1974): 24 yards
- Super Bowl X (1975): 8 yards
- Super Bowl XIII (1978): 115 yards
- Super Bowl XIV (1979): 121 yards
Before the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots ruled the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the league's gold standard – and John Stallworth helped get them there.
The Hall of Fame wide receiver barely made a dent in his first two Super Bowl appearances (five combined receptions for 32 yards) but was absolutely unstoppable in the Steelers' second back-to-back run. Stallworth turned six catches into 236 yards and three scores as Pittsburgh rolled past the Dallas Cowboys and L.A. Rams.
While he didn't do enough to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, he still has two of the 10 longest receptions in Super Bowl history – a cool bit of trivia to go along with the four rings he won as a key cog in of one of the most dominant dynasties the league has ever seen.
10. Michael Irvin (256 yards)
- Super Bowl XXVII (1992): 114 yards
- Super Bowl XXVIII (1993): 66 yards
- Super Bowl XXX (1995): 76 yards
He's known more these days for his NFL panel work, but in his prime, Michael Irvin was one of the most feared wide receivers of his era.
Irvin's best Super Bowl performance came in his NFL title game debut, when he erupted for 114 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys routed the Bills 52-17 at Super Bowl XXVII. And while he managed "just" 10 receptions for 142 yards and no scores in his next two Super Bowl appearances, it was enough to lead Dallas to wins over Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
Quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith get most of the credit for the Cowboys' offensive firepower during their early-to-mid-1990s dominance, but Irvin played a huge role, too.
