Dez Bryant's and Demaryius Thomas' five years $70 million contracts made each two of the highest paid wide receivers in the NFL. The only wide out who is paid more is Calvin Johnson. But does making the most money make you a top flight receiver? Not exactly, there are plenty of guys who are paid way less then Bryant, Thomas and Johnson who are the best at catching the ball. Normally making the most money translates to being the best, but with the wide receiver position being so deep this isn't the case.
Being a wide out isn't just running down the field and catching the deep ball. It takes a variety of routes and technique just to get open not to mention the skills a receiver must have to get yards after the catch. There are several guys who do that in the NFL and they are considered the best. It's not just based off of the money they make. It's hard to narrow down a top five for this position but here is our take on the matter.
Jordy Nelson- Green Bay Packers
Nelson has the league's best quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, throwing him the ball so he has that to his advantage. But he puts in the work to be one of the NFL's best. He is a genius on passes that go to the sideline as he has mastered the toe -tap. Last year he caught 13 touchdowns, which was second best to someone else on this list.
Julio Jones- Atlanta Falcons
In 2013 the Falcons went 4-12 and Jones missed most of the season only playing in five games. He rebounded the next season nicely and caught 104 balls with the longest of the season being 79 yards. Not bad for a guy who weighs in at 220 lbs.
Dez Bryant Dallas- Cowboys
Bryant just got his big pay day and he deserves every penny of his deal. The Lufkin, Texas native led the league with 16 touchdown receptions last year an average of one per game. He can also turn short plays into big gains. He's a match up not many corners look forward to going up against. Bryant's passion and desire to win are always on full display like someone who he shares the last name with.
Antonio Brown- Pittsburgh Steelers
Brown led the league in receptions and receiving yards last season and he is an important part to Pittsburgh's aerial assault. He has the ability to run deep, inside, outside, short and quick screen routes. Brown rarely drops the ball he had 129 receptions on 182 targets last season, which is a 71 percent catch rate. Not many have better hands than AB.
Calvin Johnson- Detroit Lions
Johnson a.k.a. Megatron is the highest paid receiver in the game right now for a reason. He glides through his routes easily and his big 6'5'' frame makes him a huge target for his quarterback Matthew Stafford. Johnson is worth all of the excitement around him, in 2013 he caught 122 passes for 1,964 yards an NFL record. The record stood since 1995 and was set by Jerry Rice. Any time a receiver is mentioned with Rice he's doing the job at a high level.
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