2023 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Wide receiver

With the new league year just around the corner, it's time for all 32 NFL teams to turn their attention to NFL free agency in a bid to improve their rosters for a new campaign.

Here are the top free agents at wide receiver, taken from PFF's free agency rankings.

Editor's note: For up-to-the-minute updates based on everything we’re hearing around the NFL, go to PFF's free agency rankings, where you can sort by position, team needs, and more all offseason long.

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1. WR Jakobi Meyers

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

After every big-name wide receiver in the 2019 NFL Draft class who was set to hit free agency this offseason signed monster extensions before the year began, Meyers found himself as the top free agent at a position that is growing in importance (and value) every single week. Meyers was an undrafted free agent find of the Patriots in 2019 who has blossomed into a very good player, returning to New England in 2022 on a restricted free agent tender and comfortably outperforming all the other major investments the team made at the position over the past two offseasons.

2. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

Smith-Schuster signed an incentive-laden, one-year deal for 2022 that paid him close to nothing in base value but included a ton of upside that he took major advantage of down the stretch. Smith-Schuster earned an additional $1.5 million with his 78 receptions, another $1.5 million with his 933 receiving yards and another $1.5 million for playing more than 65% of offensive snaps. He also earned $2 million more for being a full participant in the AFC championship game and Super Bowl.

Entering his seventh NFL season, Smith-Schuster will still be just 26 years old for the majority of the 2023 campaign. He’s tough over the middle of the field and takes a handful of big shots each season, which is certainly not ideal but never causes him to hear footsteps and alligator-arm tough catches with a defender bearing down on him. While he’s likely not going to get a huge multi-year deal, he could be the primary benefactor of a very weak free-agent class at wide receiver, representing one of the better options with a high floor.

3. WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

Beckham flirted with a return during the 2022 season as he recovered from his second torn ACL, but he ultimately decided to take the year off and get ready for the 2023 offseason, which could prove to be a wise decision. Beckham has expressed that he wants a multi-year deal so he can plant roots somewhere, which makes this projection very difficult because it creates such a wide range of possibilities.

Beckham’s postseason run with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 was epic, even despite the fact he missed the second half of the Super Bowl, with his 84.7 receiving grade through the playoffs ranking fourth among wide receivers. Beckham’s four contested catches were tied for the most of any wide receiver, and his eight explosive receptions were tied for third most. When healthy, Beckham can still be one of the best separators at the position with his trademark elite skills at the catch point.

4. WR Michael Thomas

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

Thomas has missed a ton of time over the past few seasons, but he showed over very limited action in 2022 that he can still be a top pass catcher. With how weak the wide receiver free-agent class is, Thomas may be worth the gamble.

Even in another injury-shortened 2022 campaign, Thomas flashed his elite ability. His 77.4 receiving grade ranked 12th among wide receivers, his three touchdown receptions tied for second and his eight contested catches were the most in the NFL through the first three weeks.

5. WR D.J. Chark Jr.

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

Chark signed a one-year, $10 million flier last offseason. He missed Weeks 4-11 due to injury but finished the year quite strong as the Lions turned their season around down the stretch.

From Week 12 through the end of the season, Chark earned a 72.5 receiving grade with three outings of 90-plus receiving yards over six games, 11 explosive receptions (tied for 13th) and an average of 17.6 yards per reception (11th). That’s Chark’s game, a field-stretcher with a 6-foot-4 frame and a 4.34 40-yard dash. He will always be near the top of the league in average depth of target and yards per reception, and there is always a market for those services.

6. WR Adam Thielen

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

7. WR Allen Lazard

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

Lazard is a major beneficiary of a weak free-agent group at wide receiver, but his unique skill set makes him stand out in his own right. Lazard is built like a modern-day tight end, with his 6-foot-5, 227-pound frame helping him earn a 78.2 run-blocking grade from 2019-21, which ranked seventh among wide receivers.

Lazard has proven he’s more than just a blocker, setting new career highs in targets (98), receptions (60) and receiving yards (788) in 2022, with his 73.9 receiving grade a new top mark despite the increase in receiving volume stepping up as the No. 1 receiver in Davante Adams’ absence.

8. WR Parris Campbell

Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings

Campbell was finally able to stay healthy over a full season, and it wasn’t just his availability that should inspire confidence going forward but also his consistent production over the year. The Ohio State product recorded at least 40 receiving yards in nine games and dropped just three of his 85 targets.

The former second-rounder hauled in 74.1% of his targets in 2022, a top-20 mark among wide receivers, winning downfield on occasion in addition to working underneath as the slot option.

While he was largely confined to the slot following the arrival of Alec Pierce in 2022, the Colts moved him around in years past, so a new team shouldn’t just pigeonhole him to the inside. Injuries may ultimately scare teams away, and a one-year flier may be more realistic than a multi-year projection, but Campbell could be a good low-risk bet if given a fresh start.

Landry is an underneath slot receiver who could feast if he lands with a team that has quality pass catchers commanding attention on the outside. And after missing most of the 2022 season with an injury, he is likely looking at one-year flier contract offers once again in 2023. Landry is also known to be a good veteran leader, which could be a nice addition to a team with young offensive weapons.

He's coming off the two worst seasons of his career, but he was arguably the best slot receiver in the NFL from 2015 to 2020 — his 3,938 receiving yards, 1,748 yards after the catch, 1,166 yards after contact and 91 explosive receptions of 15 or more yards all ranked first among qualifying slot receivers over that span. Buying low on a potential bounce-back could age nicely in the right setting.