Dynamic duos are always valued in both sports and pop culture. From the NBA Jam video game to Batman and Robin, and Scooby Doo and Shaggy, people enjoy team-ups in pursuit of a shared goal.
The NFL is no different. Now that the offseason dust is settling, many fresh, exciting new quarterback-wide receiver duos have formed. As recently as Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles shipped three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots, but that wasn’t the only notable wide receiver trade. The Denver Broncos scooped up Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, and the Buffalo Bills took DJ Moore off the Chicago Bears’ hands.
Here are the NFL’s top new quarterback-wide receiver duos entering the 2026 season, ranked.
10. Fernando Mendoza and Tre Tucker
The Las Vegas Raiders selecting Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft made all the sense in the world. Mendoza accomplished everything one can in college football. He led the country in passing touchdowns (41) and total touchdowns (48) in 2025 on the way to a Heisman Trophy. After an undefeated season, Mendoza’s new mission is to lead the Las Vegas Raiders back from the dead alongside new coach Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator of the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Mendoza’s top target will obviously be All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers, but since this piece is about QB-WR duos, his future connection with 2023 third-round pick wideout Tre Tucker takes center stage. Tucker led the dysfunctional Raiders offense in receiving yards (696) while ranking second in both catches (57) and receiving touchdowns (5) behind Bowers in 2025. He was also most often used as a serious threat in 2025, with 22.2% of his routes being go routes per TruMedia, so perhaps he and Mendoza can create big plays through the air with regularity, something that hasn’t been seen in Las Vegas in years.
9. Aaron Rodgers and Michael Pittman Jr.
Aaron Rodgers sorely needed wide receiver help in 2025. Outside of two-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf’s 850 receiving yards, the rest of Pittsburgh’s receivers combined to produce 866 yards receiving. How sorely did Rodgers lack an underneath threat to complement Metcalf’s downfield abilities? Running back Kenneth Gainwell led the Steelers in catches with 73 last season. Metcalf had 59. No other player exceeded 45.
Enter Michael Pittman Jr., a player who makes a living over the middle and running routes in the short and intermediate parts of the football field. His 357 catches since 2022 rank as the sixth-most in the NFL and stand as nine more than Rodgers’ all-time favorite target Davante Adams’ 348 in the same span. Pittman Jr. will provide Rodgers the reliability he needs in tandem with Metcalf’s big-play ability to form a much more efficient Steelers offense in 2026.
8. Jalen Hurts and Makai Lemon
JJalen Hurts is fresh off one of his worst NFL seasons. He averaged a career-low 7.1 yards per pass attempt as well as his lowest completion percentage (64.8%) since 2021– Hurts’ first season as the Eagles’ full-time starting quarterback. ESPN also revealed significant offensive discontent in Philadelphia in with Hurts at the center of it all.
Now, A.J. Brown is a New England Patriot as a result of all that drama, and the Eagles shifted by drafting USC’s Makai Lemon 20th overall. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award in his last year after leading the Big Ten in yards after catch (502). A reset at offensive coordinator with former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion taking over playcalling in Philadelphia should allow for a much-needed fresh start for Hurts, which could lead to a fun new connection with his first-round rookie wide receiver.
7. Tyler Shough and Jordyn Tyson
Tyler Shough found his groove late in his rookie year. During Weeks 16 and 17, Shough became the first rookie quarterback since 1950 with 300-plus passing yards, at least one passing touchdown and no turnovers in back-to-back games. He and Chris Olave hit it off, with Olave setting career-highs in catches (100), receiving yards (1,163), and receiving touchdowns (9) to earn second-team All-Pro honors.
For the Saints’ offense to make a real leap, New Orleans provided him a second highly talented wideout in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. Tyson was the 2026 draft class’s most dynamic receiver after the catch, a skillset that will pair nicely with Olave’s all-around game. Shough is also somewhat of an improvisational, scrambling quarterback, and Tyson is at his best when ad-libbing to break free from defensive backs. This should be a fun, stylistic pairing in New Orleans in 2026.
| Tyler Shough as starter, 2025 season | First four starts | Last five starts |
|---|---|---|
|
W-L |
1-3 |
4-1 |
|
Pass YPG |
235.0 |
263.2 |
|
Total TD-TO |
5-5 |
8-2 |
|
Passer rating |
91.7 |
99.1 |
6. Bo Nix and Jaylen Waddle
No player logged more receiving yards through their first five seasons in Miami Dolphins history than Jaylen Waddle, with 5,039. The AFC runner-up Denver Broncos knew they needed to add more pop to their passing game after their wide receivers averaged 11.7 yards per reception in 2025, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Enter Waddle, who led the league with an 18.1 yards per reception average in 2022 and produced a 14.2 average in 2025.
At 27-years-old, Waddle now becomes the most dynamic pass catcher of quarterback Bo Nix’s young career. Nix’s 64 total touchdowns are the third-most through a player’s first two seasons in NFL history, trailing only Justin Herbert (77) and Dan Marino (70).
These two should be a fun combo, especially because of how Waddle can help Nix become a consistent quarterback on a down-to-down basis. Three of the top four teams with the most punts in the 2025 regular season — the Browns (93), Titans (78) and Raiders (74) — missed the playoffs and fired their coaches. The fourth team in that group is Nix’s Broncos with 75 punts. Waddle’s 252 receiving first downs since entering the NFL in 2021 are the 11th-most in the league. He’ll be a huge help in Nix’s development.
5. Brock Purdy and Mike Evans
Brock Purdy has operated Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers offense at a higher level than anyone across the last decade. In 2025, Purdy became the first quarterback in 49ers history with five-plus total touchdowns in consecutive games. He was also incredibly clutch: 58.3% of his third- and fourth-down pass attempts went for first downs, the highest rate by any quarterback across the last 35 seasons, per CBS Sports Research.
Now Purdy has a six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Mike Evans. Evans tied wide receiver G.O.A.T Jerry Rice for the most consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards in NFL history with 11, but his historic start to his career came to an end in 2025. He missed nine games with multiple injuries in 2025, logging career lows in catches (30), receiving yards (368) and receiving touchdowns (3).
With better health in 2026 while playing in Shanahan’s scheme alongside All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and All-Pro tight end George Kittle, Evans and Purdy could make some sweet music together in 2026.
4. Cam Ward and Carnell Tate
Cam Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, showcased a rocky rookie year. He became the sixth No. 1 overall pick quarterback in the common draft era (since 1967) to have his coach fired midseason. Ward struggled mightily behind a mediocre offensive line before hitting his stride down the stretch with 11 total touchdowns to just two turnovers in his final seven games.
Now, teams up with Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, whom Tennessee selected fourth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pretty much every first-round pick wide receiver out of Ohio State across the last decade has been a massive hit, and Tate could provide Ward with an immediate, dynamic deep threat in 2026. Tate led college football in 2025 with six receiving touchdowns of 30-plus air yards. Pairing Ward with Tate in new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s offense could lead to a strong, deep passing display in 2026.
| Cam Ward 2025 season | First 10 games | Last 7 games |
|---|---|---|
|
Team PPG |
14.3 |
20.1 |
|
Completion percentage |
58.4% |
62% |
|
Total TD-TO |
6-12 |
11-2 |
|
Passer rating |
73.8 |
90.5 |
3. Josh Allen and DJ Moore
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is off to an all-time start to his NFL career: his 301 total touchdowns are the most through a player’s first nine seasons. Allen produced three seasons with 25-plus passing touchdowns and 12-plus rushing touchdowns, all of which have come in the last three seasons. No one else has a single such season in NFL history.
However, he has sorely lacked a dependable, No. 1 option since Stefon Diggs’ departure. Keon Coleman, the first pick of the second round in the 2024 NFL Draft, hasn’t panned out yet. In fact, his yards per reception dropped from 19.2 in 2024 to just 10.6 in 2025 — fifth-largest year-over-year decrease (-8.6) of the 21st century (minimum 50 targets). Buffalo had a rotating door at wide receiver in 2025, with six wide receivers registering at least 100 snaps from Week 13 to the end of the season, the most in the NFL. Brandin Cooks even earned 110 snaps down the stretch.
That’s why the Bills paid up with a second-round pick to acquire veteran wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Chicago Bears. Moore, 29, wasn’t as prioritized in new Bears coach Ben Johnson’s offense, with youngsters like Luther Burden, Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze positioned as the future. For Allen in Buffalo, Moore serves as the undisputed WR1. Moore reunites with Joe Brady, Buffalo’s new coach, who was his offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers for 2020 and 2021, two of his best seasons.
| Bills WR production by NFL ranks, With and Without Stefon Diggs | With Diggs (2020-2023) | Without Diggs (2024-2025) |
|---|---|---|
|
Receptions |
1,038 (2nd) |
370 (21st) |
|
Receiving Yards |
13,046 (1st) |
4,546 (23rd) |
|
Receiving TD |
93 (2nd) |
19 (T-21st) |
2. Kyler Murray and Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is well on his way to becoming an all-time great. Jefferson produced the most receiving yards in NFL history through a player’s first five seasons, 7,432, from 2020 to 2024, and he entered 2025 averaging 96.5 receiving yards per game, the most in NFL history.
Then, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan, ruined Jefferson’s life in 2025. The 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year wideout registered career lows in receiving yards (1,048) and receiving touchdowns (2). McCarthy ranked dead last in completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12) and passer rating (72.6). Jefferson’s career receiving yards per game average dropped from 96.5 to 90.2, which now ranks as the second-most all-time behind Puka Nacua’s 95.3.
Jefferson became freed from McCarthy’s shackles in 2026 thanks to Minnesota’s free agency signing of two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray is a clear-cut upgrade from McCarthy … provided he can remain on the field. He’s missed 30 of a possible 68 games, 44%, across the last five seasons, and played 12-plus games in a season just one time in the last four seasons back in 2024.
1. Drake Maye and A.J. Brown
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye finished as the 2025 NFL MVP runner-up, just one first-place vote (24 to 23) behind Matthew Stafford. Maye became the first quarterback since Tom Brady in the Patriots’ 16-0 2007 season to have the best record (14-3), completion percentage (72%) and yards per pass attempt (8.9) all in the same season. Brady only led the NFL in completion percentage and yards per pass attempt in the same season once in his G.O.A.T career. The same goes for Drew Brees, Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Maye did it in his second season with a past-his-prime Stefon Diggs as his top target. Now, he has A.J. Brown as his No. 1 option.
| Drake Maye, 2025 season | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|
|
W-L |
14-3 |
T-1st |
|
Completion percentage |
72% |
1st |
|
Yards per pass attempt |
8.9 |
1st |
|
Passer rating |
113.5 |
1st |
|
Expected points added (EPA) per dropback |
0.28 |
1st |
Brown joined the Patriots via trade from the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday and represents a massive upgrade. While catching passes from quarterback Jalen Hurts, a player whose passing abilities came into question in 2025, Brown became the first player in Eagles history with 1,000-plus receiving yards in four consecutive seasons.
Maye plus Brown should equal plenty of Foxborough fireworks for the defending AFC champions in 2026.
| A.J. Brown career, NFL ranks since 2019 | NFL Rank since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
|
Catches |
524 |
11th |
|
Receiving yards |
8,029 |
4th |
|
Yards per reception |
15.3 |
5th |
|
Receiving TD |
56 |
4th |
* Brown entered the NFL in 2019
