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History is made seemingly every NFL season. Rookie quarterback C.J Stroud enjoyed an historic year 2023, Tom Brady set records in 2022 in his final year in the league and the addition of a 17th game to the schedule in 2021 spurred more history that season and beyond.
It can be hard to see history coming — Puka Nacua came out of nowhere a season ago — but that won’t stop us from taking a stab at guessing which records might fall in 2024. Receiving Yards: 1,964 Mike Carter/USA TODAY Sports Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record has stood untouched since 2012. The only player to come close is Cooper Kupp, who racked up 1,947 yards in 2021.
Introducing an extra game to the schedule helped Kupp, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb all surpass the 1,700-yard threshold in the past three seasons. Hill, who recorded 3,509 yards in his first two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, could threaten Johnson’s record and push for the first 2,000-yard receiving season . Hill’s 112.
4 receiving yards per game average in 2023 put him on pace for over 1,900 yards had he played all 17 games, and he was on pace for 2,000 yards at times last season. Receptions: 149 © Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Kupp also came close to Michael Thomas’ 2019 receptions record in his Triple Crown season, falling just four catches shy of Thomas’ record of 149. In fact, five of the top 10 single-season reception totals have occurred in the past five years, including Lamb’s 135 catches in 2023.
It would take a wide receiver who’s the clear No. 1 option in his offense to see enough volume to approach Thomas’ high-water mark. That makes Lamb, whose reception total has risen every year of his career, a prime candidate.
Rookie Receptions: 105 Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Nacua broke Jaylen Waddle’s 2021 rookie receptions record by one last season, albeit with the help of an extra game. Only three pass catchers ever have recorded 100 catches in their first year, so despite the two highest totals occurring in the past three seasons, this is a tough mark to hit.
There were 10 receivers taken in the first 40 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft and three came off the board in the top 10. Two of those players — Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers — profile as the top targets on their respective offenses, and they might see substantial volume as rookies.
Kick Returns for Touchdown: 4 Dale Zanine / USA Today Sports With the NFL’s new kickoff rules encouraging more returns, it’s natural to predict more kicks will be returned for touchdowns. Cecil Turner (1970) and Travis Williams (1967) are tied for the record with four apiece, and no player has recorded three kick return touchdowns since 2010. Cordarrelle Patterson, who holds the record for most career kick return touchdowns with nine, was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers the day after the new format was announced.
He’ll have plenty of opportunities to add to his total in 2024. Longest Field Goal Made: 66 yards © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Justin Tucker broke Matt Prater’s 8-year-old record in 2021 when he connected on a 66-yard field goal inside Ford Field in Detroit. That has stood as the record since, but 60-plus-yard field goals are becoming increasingly common.
Of the 36 made in NFL history, 15 have come in the past four seasons, and 23 are by active kickers. Matt Prater, Jake Elliott, Joe Slye, Harrison Butker and rookie Brandon Aubrey all connected on 60-plus-yard field goals in 2023. Aubrey earned All-Pro honors in his first season, connecting on all 10 of his kicks beyond 50 yards.
Tucker’s record could fall soon — and he could be the one to surpass it. Related: NFL Predictions: Athlon Sports’ Experts Make Their Picks for 2024 Playoffs, Individual Honors Related: NFL Rookie Records at Risk of Being Broken in 2024.
