Since 1979, the New England Patriots have only had 10 players surpass the 1,000-yard receiving plateau in a single season.
Despite all of their success over the last 10 years, the New England Patriots have struggled in regards to their wide receiver position.
It comes off as a bit of a surprise when considering that Tom Brady — the greatest quarterback of all-time — was the quarterback in New England for the last two decades.
During Brady’s historic tenure in New England, the Patriots successfully created a more balanced offense that utilized the running backs and tight ends as receiving options in addition to however many wide receivers were on the field. In doing so, it allowed Brady to spread and open up the field more.
Surprisingly enough, throughout the last 20 years, the Patriots have only had four wide receivers and one tight end surpass the 1,000-yard plateau in the Brady era.
But for the most part, Brady produced a powerful moving offense … and most of those five players consecutively reached the 1,000-yard feat.
A large part in the Patriots having spotty wide receivers over the years has been because of scouting and the draft process. Since 2010, the Patriots have drafted nine wide receivers, and only two of them have actually played meaningful downs for the team: Malcolm Mitchell in 2016 and N’Keal Harry, who the Pats just drafted in 2019.
With that being said, the New England Patriots have had five receivers both before and during the Brady era who surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
Here are the last 10 players to reach 1,000 receiving yards in Patriots history.
Julian Edelman – 2013, 2016, 2019
The New England Patriots took a gamble and drafted Julian Edelman as a receiver — who all we knew of at the time as a young and versatile quarterback from Kent State — in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Edelman — who started his career on special teams — quickly carved out a role for himself, and has since become the team’s workhorse. He has regularly gone above and beyond for the Patriots throughout his career, including even playing defense during the early years of the new decade.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Edelman became a true weapon to Tom Brady and upgraded the total offense in the process.
Edelman has three 1,000 yard seasons so far in his career: 2013 (1,056 yards), 2016 (1,106 yards), and 2019 (1,117 yards). He also has two seasons of catching 100 passes (2013 & 2019), and almost had his third in 2016 when he reeled in 98 passes.
Edelman has totaled 599 receptions averaging 10.9 yards per catch for 6,507 yards and has scored 36 touchdowns throughout his career thus far.
In Patriots franchise history, Edelman ranks second all-time in receptions, fourth all-time in receiving yards, and ninth all-time in receiving touchdowns. He also has scored four touchdowns off of punt returns, which is the most in franchise history.
Edelman ranks second in NFL history with the most receptions in the playoffs (118) behind Jerry Rice. He is also a three-time Super Bowl champion and a Super Bowl MVP.
Rob Gronkowski – 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017
The dynamic of New England’s franchise changed forever when they drafted Rob Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Gronkowski upgraded the tight end position — not just for the Patriots, but for the entire NFL as well. In doing so, Gronk became a four-time First-Team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl five times in his nine-year career with the Patriots.
Tom Brady and Gronkowski immediately were on the same page and connected on 79 touchdowns, which is the second-most in Patriots franchise history. Gronk also ranks second in franchise history in receiving yards (7,861) and fifth in receptions (521).
In his time with the Patriots, Gronkowski has four 1,000 yard seasons in his career: 2011 (1,327 yards), 2014 (1,124 yards), 2015 (1,176 yards), and 2017 (1,084 yards).
Gronk became a three-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the best tight end in NFL history.
Brandin Cooks – 2017
Brandin Cooks is a former first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints who was eventually traded to the New England Patriots in 2017 for a first-round draft pick and other additional picks.
In Cooks’ one season playing in New England, he reeled in 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Cooks averaged 16.6 yards per catch, which is the highest in his career.
Cooks appeared in his first Super Bowl with the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, a losing effort to the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, Cooks went into concussion protocol early in the second quarter and didn’t return to the game.
The Patriots traded Cooks in 2018 to the Los Angeles Rams for a future first-round draft pick that became Isaiah Wynn and a sixth-round pick.
Wes Welker – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012
The New England Patriots conducted a trade with the Miami Dolphins for Wes Welker in 2007 after he had accumulated the second-most all-purpose yards in NFL history in his first three years since Gale Sayers.
During his tenure with the Patriots, Welker evolved the slot receiver position and became an immediate workhorse for Tom Brady and the offense. Welker led the NFL in receptions in 2007, 2009, and 2011.
He also became the Patriots’ all-time receptions leader with 672 receptions.
Welker surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in five of his six seasons in New England, which is the most in franchise history: 2007 (1,175 yards), 2008 (1,165 yards), 2009 (1,348 yards), 2011 (1,569 yards), and 2012 (1,354 yards).
In the same seasons, Welker also caught over 110 receptions and holds the Patriots franchise record for the most receptions in a single game, the most receiving yards in a single game, and the longest reception. He also holds the four highest single season reception totals in team history.
Although he doesn’t have the rings to prove it, Welker is by far one of the greatest wide receivers Brady has ever played with, as well as being one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.
Randy Moss – 2007, 2008, 2009
The New England Patriots acquired Randy Moss in 2007 in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick … and it turned out to be a steal for the Patriots.
Moss — who was already considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers ever — increased his legendary status even more when he joined forces with quarterback Tom Brady in New England. The duo connected for 23 touchdowns in their first year together, which is the most ever in a single season.
Moss eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in three of the four years he was on the team: 2007 (98 receptions for 1,493 yards), 2008 (69 receptions for 1,008 yards), 2009 (83 receptions for 1,264 yards).
It’s worth mentioning that Moss’ production impressively was able to remain consistent considering that he was teammates with Wes Welker — who has the most receptions in franchise history — and in 2008 when Brady was out for the season with a knee injury and backup quarterback Matt Cassell took over.
It’s fair to say that Moss was the best athlete every time he was on the field. He finished his Patriots career with 259 receptions (15th all-time in franchise history) for 3,904 yards (12th all-time in franchise history), and scored 50 touchdowns (tied for third all-time in franchise history with Ben Coates).
Brady and Moss were on pace to become the best quarterback-receiver duo in the history of the NFL — which is more impressive as it happened later on in both of their careers — and it makes you wonder what could have been had they been together for a few more years.
Troy Brown – 2001
The New England Patriots drafted Troy Brown in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Brown spent his entire 15-year career playing with the Patriots and helped the franchise win three Super Bowls in four attempts.
Brown was primarily used as a return specialist throughout his career and eventually became one of the team’s starting wide receivers in 2000. Brown’s only 1,000-yard season came in 2001 when he led the Patriots by catching 101 passes for 1,199 yards en route to bringing back the first Super Bowl championship to New England.
It’s worth mentioning that Brown was the most complete and well-rounded football player during his time due to his versatility, Brown often found himself playing defensive cornerback for the Patriots and even led the team in interceptions at one time.
Brown has totaled 557 receptions (third all-time in franchise history) for 6,366 yards (fifth all-time in franchise history) and 31 receiving touchdowns (10th all-time in franchise history) in 192 games (third all-time in franchise history).
Brown was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2012.
Terry Glenn – 1996 & 1999
The New England Patriots selected Terry Glenn seventh overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. Glenn was an immediate upgrade for the Patriots and came to the Bill Parcells-led team as the best wide receiver in all of college football.
Glenn got off to a quick start as a rookie, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards and helping the Patriots reach Super Bowl XXXI. He caught 90 passes for 1,132 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns, which set an NFL record and a Patriots franchise record for the most receptions by a rookie.
From 1997 through 2000, Glenn dealt with multiple recurring injuries and a series of off-field issues that Bill Belichick was not going to tolerate for long when he became the head coach of the Patriots in 2000. Ultimately, they led to Belichick eventually shutting Glenn down for the rest of the 2001 season — including the playoff run to the Super Bowl — after which he was traded to the Green Bay Packers.
Glenn was technically on the team when the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2001 but the Pats did not award him a Super Bowl ring.
Glenn surpassed 1,000 receiving yards twice with the Patriots (1996 & 1999) and might be best remembered for catching the first touchdown pass of Tom Brady’s career. He finished his six years in New England with 329 receptions for 4,669 yards and 22 touchdowns, and is also a member of the Patriots All-1990s team.
Ben Coates – 1994
The New England Patriots selected tight end Ben Coates in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Coates’ career ignited in 1993 with the arrival of then-new head coach, Bill Parcells, followed by rookie quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
With the addition of Bledsoe, Coates led the Patriots with 53 receptions in 1993 and went on to make 460 receptions over the next seven years with Bledsoe, catching 96, 84, 62, 66, and 67 passes in five consecutive years.
Coates’ one and only 1,000-yard season came in 1994 when he made 96 receptions for 1,174 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
In the 1996 season, Coates led the team with nine touchdowns in an effort that helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl XXXI. He was released by the Patriots following the 1999 season.
Before Rob Gronkowski landed in New England in 2010, Coates was the best tight end in franchise history. He ranks seventh all-time in yards (5,471), tied for third all-time in touchdowns (50), and is sixth all-time in receptions (490). His 96 receptions in 1994 was the most ever by a tight end until 2004 when Tony Gonzalez caught 102 passes.
Coates is on the Patriots’ All-1990s team, the 50th anniversary team, and enshrined in the Patriots Hall of Fame, as well as being a member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team.
Irving Fryar – 1991
After being selected first overall in 1984 by the New England Patriots, Irving Fryar played in every game that he was available throughout his entire 17-year NFL career.
Fryar surpassed 1,000 yards five times in his career, but only once with the Patriots. He played in Super Bowl XX and lost against the Chicago Bears.
He was primarily used as a return specialist, but in 1991, Fryar made 68 receptions averaging 14.9 yards per catch for 1,014 yards and scored three receiving touchdowns, which was tied for the most on the team that year.
In Patriots franchise history, Fryar ranks eight all-time in receptions (363), sixth all-time in yards (5,726), and seventh all-time in touchdowns (38). He is on the Patriots’ All-1980s team and the 50th anniversary team.
Stanley Morgan – 1979, 1981, 1986
The New England Patriots selected Stanley Morgan in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft. Morgan spent 13 of his 14 years in the NFL playing for the Patriots, all while becoming the best wide receiver and holding every receiving record in Patriots franchise history for the next 20 years.
Morgan impressively set an NFL record with 19.4 yards per catch for his career, as well as leading the NFL in that category in 1979, 1980, and 1981. Morgan also led the league in receiving touchdowns in 1979 with 12, was named to four Pro Bowls, and is inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Morgan eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards three times in his career: 1979 (44 receptions for 1,002 yards), 1981 (44 receptions for 1,029 yards), and 1986 (84 receptions for 1,491 yards).
In Patriots franchise history, Morgan ranks first all-time in receiving yards (10,352), fourth all-time in receptions (534), second all-time in touchdowns (67), and fourth all-time in total games (180).