2023 NFL Free Agency: The top wide receivers set for free agency, including Jakobi Meyers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Allen Lazard

Even though there are six weeks left of the NFL regular season, franchises have already started looking into the players entering free agency in 2023.

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the top running backs set for free agency in 2023, including Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard. This week, we'll dive into the top wide receivers of the upcoming free-agency class.

Where the WR market currently stands

What to watch for: The Chicago Bears made an odd-looking deal before the trade deadline, sending a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for WR Chase Claypool — the first signal of how weak the upcoming free-agent receiver class is set to be.

Players could still be cut, and there’s always a possibility of blockbuster trades like we had last year. However, the way things look now, it's a very weak class. The draft is also not considered as stacked as it has been in previous years.

Tags: Per OverTheCap.com, the franchise tag for wide receivers is projected to be $19,881,000, while the transition tag is projected to be $17,465,000.

The 2023 free-agent class

Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots

• 2022 snaps: 453
• Overall grade: 77.6 (20th)
• PFF War: 0.19 (33rd)

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Meyers has improved in virtually every statistic year-over-year and earned a 74.0-plus PFF grade in each of the last three years. His 3.6% drop rate is 12th among qualifying receivers, and his 69% contested-catch rate is the best among all receivers over the past three seasons. Meyers turned just 26 years old earlier this month.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs

• 2022 snaps: 474
• Overall grade: 72.0 (35th)
• PFF War: 0.17 (37th)

Realizing the market for a long-term deal wasn’t transpiring, Smith-Schuster opted to take a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Chiefs last offseason in order to play with head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The strategy has worked for the most part, as he’s on pace to record the most receiving yards since his rookie year in 2018. His 334 yards after the catch is ninth among all receivers this season.

As one executive noted, Schuster appears to be in the best position when he’s the No. 2 option on a team. Smith-Schuster turned 26 years old on Nov. 22. 

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

• 2022 snaps: 221
• Overall grade: 74.8 (32nd)
• PFF War: 0.15 (41st)

Slayton's story is fascinating, as he was nearly cut by the Giants before the start of the season and eventually had to take a $1.57 million pay cut just to stay around.

With the multitude of injuries in the New York receiving corps, Slayton has essentially become the No. 1 receiver on a Giants team that has exceeded expectations. His 74.8 PFF grade is a career-high, and he’s on pace to record a career-high in receiving yards after posting 740-plus receiving yards in his first two seasons. He’ll turn 26 in January.

D.J. Chark, Detroit Lions

• 2022 snaps: 221
• Overall grade: 60.4 (131st)
• PFF War: 0.03 (106th)

Chark turned down multi-year offers to sign with the Lions on a one-year, $10 million prove-it deal this past offseason. The biggest concern has always been the injuries, and that has proved to be an issue once again, as he’s missed six games this season with an ankle injury. 

However, the potential is clearly there: Chark earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019 when he went for a career-high 1,008 yards and eight scores on 73 catches.

The 6-foot-4 former second-round pick hauled in 23 contested catches from 2019 to 2020; his 13.3-yard average depth of target ranked 18th among receivers, while his 27.7% deep-target percentage (targets 20-plus yards downfield) ranked seventh. He’ll be 27 years old next season. 

Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

• 2022 snaps: 576
• Overall grade: 68.6 (56th)
• PFF War: 0.19 (31st)

The Packers made Lazard their top veteran option this season after shocking the NFL world by trading Davante Adams. He’s already set career-highs in targets (68), receptions (40), yards (553) and through 10 games.

Marvin Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars

• 2022 snaps: 481
• Overall grade: 62.3 (82nd)
• PFF War: 0.06 (86th)

Jones will be 33 years old when free agency opens in March, but he has missed just one game in the last three years and gone over 750 yards in six out of the last seven seasons.

The veteran wideout earned a 70.4 receiving grade with 73 receptions just last year, and his 16 contested catches ranked fifth in the NFL. Coaches have also praised Jones for being a great locker-room presence and bringing valuable veteran leadership. 

Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs

• 2022 snaps: 303
• Overall grade: 67.9 (60th)
• PFF War: 0.07 (80th)

Hardman quietly put up over 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons and was on pace to do that again this season before an ankle injury put him on short-term IR. The speedy Hardman has ranked second in each of the last two years in yards after the catch per reception and currently ranks eighth in that category this season. 

Jarvis Landry, New Orleans Saints

• 2022 snaps: 250
• Overall grade: 69.1 (50th)
• PFF War: 0.07 (76th)

Landry started his NFL career with seven straight seasons of at least 70 receptions, 750 receiving yards and a 70.0-plus receiving grade. Injuries broke that streak in 2021, and Cleveland ultimately released him.

He signed with New Orleans this offseason and had a massive Week 1, catching seven passes for 114 yards, but the injuries popped up again, forcing him to miss five games with an ankle injury.

Still just 30 years old, Landry is now healthy and will try to put something together on the back end of the season before hitting free agency once again.

More wide receivers set to be free agents:
Noah Brown, Dallas Cowboys
DeAndre Carter, Los Angeles Chargers
Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders
Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts
Sammy Watkins, Green Bay Packers
A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals
Julio Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers