What was the greatest single season by a Falcons wide receiver

We continue passing the time waiting for free agency by diving into more historical content. Last week, we looked at the greatest single season by a quarterback in Falcons history. Next, it was the greatest single season by a running back in team history.

Those QBs didn’t just throw the ball to themselves, however (although that would have been pretty cool). Today, we look at the greatest years procured by some of their pass catching weapons.

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Alfred Jenkins - 1981

70 receptions, 1353 receiving yards, 13 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro

In an era when the high flying passing offenses we see today weren’t prevalent, Alfred Jenkins made his mark with the best receiving season in the league in 1981. Coming off of becoming just the second Falcon ever to record 1000+ receiving yards in a single season in 1980, Jenkins became the first Falcons WR to earn First Team All-Pro honors in 1981.

Steve Bartkowski was third in the NFL in passing yards that season, and roughly a third of his yardage went to Jenkins. Nearly half of his 30 touchdown passes thrown (second in the NFL) went to Jenkins as well. To this day, Jenkins’ 1981 season represents the most single season receiving yards by a Falcon not named Julio Jones or Roddy White. And his 13 receiving touchdowns are second in franchise history.

Andre Rison - 1990

82 receptions, 1208 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro

The Falcons had a year to forget in 1990, as they were making their way toward the end of the second-longest playoff draught in franchise history with a 5-11 record. The true bright spot that season was second year WR Andre Rison, who carried Atlanta’s offense.

Rison finished second in the NFL in catches, third in receiving yards, and second in receiving touchdowns. He became just the second player in franchise history to eclipse double digit receiving TDs, and the second WR to earn First Team All-Pro honors (Alfred Jenkins did both in 1981). Only the legendary Jerry Rice had a better 1990 season among WRs (leading every major receiving category).

Andre Rison - 1992

93 receptions, 1119 receiving yards, 11 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

Following a strong 1991 season where he caught 12 TD passes but failed to reach 1000 receiving yards, Rison continued to emerge as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL with a third straight Pro Bowl appearance in 1992.

The now 25-year-old finished second in the NFL in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, and second in receiving touchdowns. He was on the NFL WR Mount Rushmore that season, along with Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, and Michael Irvin. Unfortunately, Rison was overlooked because he played for an obscure franchise while those other three WRs played for three of the most popular teams in the league.

Andre Rison - 1993

86 receptions, 1242 receiving yards, 15 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

Rison’s ascension as one of the game’s best receivers reached its peak in 1993, when he was fourth in the NFL with a career high in receiving yards and tied for first with Jerry Rice in receiving touchdowns. He made it to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl in the process.

Rison has a legitimate argument that he was snubbed in First-Team All-Pro voting — despite having 26 fewer receptions and 25 fewer targets to work with, he finished only 30 receiving yards behind Sterling Sharpe, while hauling in four more TDs. To this day, Rison’s 15 receiving TDs are a single season franchise record. The fact that he had this kind of season with Bobby Herbert as his QB for most of the year makes it even more impressive.

Terrance Mathis - 1994

111 receptions, 1342 receiving yards, 11 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

Rison was still a prevalent part of Atlanta’s aerial attack in 1994, but it was free agent signing Terrance Mathis who came out of nowhere and stole the Falcons’ offensive show. Mathis had accumulative just 1242 total receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in his four-year career with the Jets, and then eclipsed both of those marks in 1994 alone with the Falcons.

Mathis was new QB Jeff George’s favorite target, and he accumulated more receiving yards in a single season than anybody in franchise history sans Alfred Jenkins in 1981, up to that point. He finished third in the league in receptions, third in receiving yards, and third in receiving touchdowns. This was the only Pro Bowl season of his career.

Roddy White - 2008

88 receptions, 1382 receiving yards, 7 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

Following two years where he looked like a first round bust, Roddy White put it all together and became the only consistent offensive option on a team whose QB rotation consisted of Joey Harrington, Chris Redmon, and Byron Leftwich in 2007. When Matt Ryan came in 2008, White instantly became his favorite target.

White broke Jenkins’ single season receiving yards record which had stood for 27 years, and earned his first career Pro Bowl honor. He finished fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and helped the Falcons to a resurgent 11-5 season.

Roddy White - 2010

115 receptions, 1389 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro

Having established himself as one of the game’s premier WRs in 2008 and 2009, White had his magnum opus season in 2010, when he led the league in receptions, finished second in receiving yards, and seventh in receiving touchdowns.

White’s workload reached his climax in 2010 as well, as he broke Rison’s franchise record for number of targets in a season. He helped lead the Falcons to a 13-3 record, and became just the third WR in franchise history to be named a First Team All-Pro at the position. Roddy also broke his own 2008 franchise record for receiving yards in a single season.

Julio Jones - 2014

104 receptions, 1593 receiving yards, 6 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

When the Falcons invested a myriad of draft picks into trading up for Julio Jones in the 2011 NFL draft, they expected to come away with a generational talent. After flashing his talent as White’s sidekick in 2012 and losing most of his 2013 season to injury, Jones had the dominant year many hoped to see in 2014.

Julio finished third in the NFL in receptions and receiving yards, and broke White’s single season franchise record for receiving yards. Jones became the first player in Falcons history to surpass the 1500 receiving yard mark, and he would have surpassed 1600 as well if not for a late season injury. He finished second behind Odell Beckham in receiving yards per game.

Julio Jones - 2015

136 receptions, 1871 receiving yards, 8 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro

Following his breakout in 2014, Jones absolutely exploded and had one of the best receiving seasons in NFL history a year later. Despite falling short of Calvin Johnson’s all-time single season receiving yards record, number 11 still gave chase and finished with the second-most receiving yards ever in an NFL season.

Julio and Antonio Brown tied for first with 136 receptions, and each went over 1800 receiving yards to place in the top five in league history. It was clear to everyone that they were far and away the best WRs in the NFL. Jones became the fourth Falcons WR in history to earn First Team All-Pro honors.

Julio Jones - 2016

83 catches, 1409 receiving yards, 6 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro

In year two of Kyle Shanahan’s offense, following the offseason additions of Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel, Matt Ryan distributed the ball more a lot more and didn’t give Julio that extravagant 2015 attention. However, Jones was the one who always faced double coverage and who opened up the opportunity for Atlanta to have a historic offensive year in 2016.

Jones finished second in the NFL in receiving yards despite missing two games due to injury and getting pulled out of a handful of fourth quarter blowouts down the stretch of the year. He led the league in receiving yards per game, and became the first Falcons WR to be named as a First-Team All-Pro selection multiple times.

Julio Jones - 2017

88 receptions, 1444 receiving yards, 3 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

It really feels like Julio Jones has spoiled us with his greatness over the years. For any WR in the game, finishing second in the league with over 1400 receiving yards in a season facing consistent extra coverage would be a spectacular season. For Jones, it was considered pedestrian because of a small number of touchdowns receptions.

Jones earned his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and was once again the most important offensive player (other than the quarterback) on a playoff team that won 10 games.

Julio Jones - 2018

113 receptions, 1677 receiving yards, 8 receiving touchdowns, Pro Bowl

Jones continued to remain a metronome of production in 2018, continuing his reign as the best WR in all of football. He finished fourth in receptions and won the receiving yardage crown, making his way to the Pro Bowl for a fifth consecutive season.

It’s an utmost travesty that he was not selected to the First Team All-Pro squad for the third time. Instead, the voters gave that honor to Michael Thomas, who had 272 fewer receiving yards and one more touchdown. Jones led the league in receiving yards per game for the third time in four years.