Top 35 Greatest Passing Connections in NFL History

Montana to Rice. Manning to Harrison.

These are the passing connections we all remember so well from the last 30 years of NFL play. Which players from today's NFL can stand up against the greatest quarterback-wide receiver connections in the history of the game?

We break down the top 35 passing connections of all time, even sneaking in a few running backs and tight ends along the way.

35. Rich Gannon to Tim Brown

It is hard to remember Tim Brown ever having a bad season—largely in part because once Rich Gannon arrived in 1999, things started going very well in Oakland.

Brown is remembered as a dual-threat receiver and returner, but his play over a four-year stretch with Gannon was remarkable.

The two hooked up for 414 catches and 4,567 yards for the Raiders in the early 2000s.

34. Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson

Since joining the Texans in 2007, Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson have put up amazing numbers from day one.

Johnson is averaging just over 90 catches per season with Schaub at quarterback. He has also led the NFL in receptions twice during that time and was No. 3 overall in another year.

Schaub to Johnson is one of the best current quarterback/wide receiver connections in the NFL.

33. Brett Favre to Sterling Sharpe

In their three seasons together before Sterling Sharpe's career was tragically cut short due to a neck injury, Sharpe and Brett Favre hooked up for an average of over 104 catches per season.

What the two were doing in Green Bay was truly remarkable to watch. From 1992-1994, you could argue that only Steve Young and Jerry Rice were better. And even then, it was a close match.

Had Sharpe not been injured, the record books could look slightly different.

32. Bob Griese to Paul Warfield

The NFL's only undefeated season came by the arm of Bob Griese and the hands of Paul Warfield.

Griese is often overlooked in the annals of NFL history when we talk about the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but he was a brilliant game manager for the '72 Dolphins during their undefeated season.

Warfield was a Pro Bowler eight times and an All-Pro six.

31. John Elway to Rod Smith

John Elway was a great quarterback before Rod Smith, but he had never won a Super Bowl until he found a dependable No. 1 receiver in Rod Smith.

Shannon Sharpe and Terrell Davis were both major factors in the two Super Bowl wins in Denver; it's Smith who does not receive the notoriety.

Rod has the most catches (849), receiving yards (11,389) and touchdown receptions (68) of any undrafted wide receiver in NFL history and is the only undrafted receiver to ever surpass 10,000 yards receiving.

30. Warren Moon to Cris Carter

During the 1994-1995 seasons in Minnesota, Warren Moon put on a passing clinic with Cris Carter as his partner in crime.

The two hooked up for league-leading numbers. Carter became the only receiver in NFL history to record more than 120 receptions in back-to-back seasons during this time. Carter was an All-Pro both seasons Moon was in Minnesota.

29. Kurt Warner to Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner will both enter the Hall of Fame within the next 10 years, and it is their play together that helped cement their status as greats at their positions.

From 1999 until 2011, Faulk and Warner owned the NFL, winning one Super Bowl and appearing in another. Faulk was the AP NFL MVP in 2000 and the AP Offensive Player of the Year in all three seasons the duo appeared together without injury.

28. Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald

Kurt Warner arrived in Arizona in 2003. When he did, Larry Fitzgerald's stats took off like a rocket.

In '03, Fitzgerald led the NFL with 103 receptions. He followed that up with three consecutive seasons with 90-plus receptions and a first-team All-Pro berth in 2008.

Warner, for all his greatness in St. Louis, solidified his Hall of Fame credentials in Arizona.

27. Mark Brunell to Jimmy Smith

Starting in 1996, Jimmy Smith and Mark Brunell began assaulting the NFL and fantasy footballers alike.

During that '96 season, Brunell led the NFL in passing with over 4,300 yards—1,244 of them to Jimmy Smith in just nine starts.

Brunell and Smith would gel into one of the best combinations the NFL saw in the late 90s and early 2000s.

26. Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco

Between 2004 and 2007, Chad (Johnson) Ochocinco never caught fewer than 87 passes or recorded less than 1,200 yards receiving.

All from the strong right arm of Carson Palmer.

Johnson would make five Pro Bowls with Palmer as his quarterback as the two helped restore credibility to the Bengals organization.

25. Joe Montana to John Taylor

John Taylor never put up amazing numbers, but his presence and impact on the field were unquestionably strong.

Taylor became known as the ideal run-after-catch receiver for the 49ers' West Coast offense, proven by his career average of 16 yards per catch.

Taylor was never bigger than in the playoffs or big games during the regular season. He was truly the perfect complement to Jerry Rice.

24. Sonny Jurgensen to Charley Taylor

Back before passing was incredibly common on all three downs, Sonny Jurgensen and Charley Taylor ruled the air in the NFL.

Taylor would go on to eight Pro Bowls during his time as a Redskin, with Jurgensen making five of his own.

Both Taylor and Jurgensen made the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

23. Don Meredith to Bob Hayes

Beginning in 1965, Don Meredith would propel Bob Hayes to a level unseen before in the NFL.

Hayes would become a Hall of Famer due to his dominance at the position in the mid 1960s.

While Meredith's window of success in the NFL cannot compare to many quarterbacks on this list, for a few seasons in the middle of the 1960s, he was great.

22. Dan Marino to Mark Clayton

Dan Marino was an expert at spreading the football around to whichever receiver happened to be open in the moment. From 1984 until 1991, his favorite target was Mark Clayton.

Clayton was never a statistical juggernaut, but his play in the Dolphins offense and the consistency with which he played made him Marino's favorite target.

While Marino made the Hall of Fame, Clayton helped get him there.

21. Dan Fouts to Charlie Joiner

Dan Fouts and Charlie Joiner would help change the NFL from a grind-it-out running game to the high-flying passing attacks we know today.

The two were both honored with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for their consistency, innovation and productivity over 10 seasons together.

20. Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann

Both Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann would find themselves inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, largely in part because of their play together and the four Super Bowls won in Pittsburgh in the 1970s.

Swann caught a pass in three Super Bowls, many of them iconic parts of NFL history. Bradshaw would throw nine touchdowns in his four Super Bowl starts, notching an impressive QB rating of 112.8 in the big game.

The two combined to hook up for one of the most famous catches in NFL history.

19. Tom Brady to Wes Welker

Wes Welker's stat line with Tom Brady in the lineup looks like something you would see in a Madden season.

Welker has led the NFL in receptions twice in his three seasons with Brady under center. His 123 catches in 2009 are also good for second all time.

The two have a chemistry and timing that is hard to match. If they can keep it up for a few more seasons, their stock will rise on our board.

18. Terry Bradshaw to John Stallworth

Not until Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison are in the Hall of Fame will we ever see the top two wide receivers from an NFL team both make the Hall of Fame.

And we may not see it again for a long, long time.

Stallworth was the perfect complement to Lynn Swann in Pittsburgh—where the two teamed with Terry Bradshaw to win four Super Bowls.

17. Daunte Culpepper to Randy Moss

When Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss teamed up in Minnesota, it looked like Jerry Rice might need to worry about his records.

Between 2000 and 2004, the two dominated the NFL with Moss leading the league in touchdown catches twice and Culpepper putting up a staggering 4,700 yards passing in 2004.

Oh, what might have been.

Culpepper would suffer a knee injury and never be the same. Moss would head to Oakland.

16. John Elway to Shannon Sharpe

John Elway was the best of a talented bunch of Broncos on the field for the team's two Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998, but Shannon Sharpe was a huge factor in the turnaround in Denver.

Sharpe, like Elway, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his transcendent play at the tight end position. Sharpe made seven straight Pro Bowls, with a total of eight appearances in his career.

Elway to Sharpe ranks as one of the most productive quarterback/tight end combinations in NFL history.

15. Mark Rypien to Art Monk

Before there was Jerry Rice, there was Art Monk.

Growing up in the early and mid 1980s, Art Monk was one of my favorite players. Largely in part because he was unstoppable on Tecmo Super Bowl. Monk was equally good on the actual field.

Monk was the first player in NFL history to record over 100 receptions in a season and over 900 receptions in a career. He left the NFL with 940 receptions, which at the time was an NFL record.

14. Dan Fouts to Kellen Winslow

Both Dan Fouts and Kellen Winslow have gold jackets representing their induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was when running Don Coryell's offense that the two found greatness.

Beginning in Winslow's rookie season, Fouts threw for more than 4,000 yards in three straight seasons. Winslow would lead the NFL in receptions during the 1980 and 1981 seasons.

The two developed football, particularly the passing game, to a level before unseen in the NFL.

And for that, they have been recognized as one of the best duos of all time.

13. Kurt Warner to Torry Holt

It is particularly telling that Torry Holt never had less than 50 receptions in a single season during his NFL career.

Both Holt and Kurt Warner entered the St. Louis starting line up in 1999. By the 2000 season, they were ready to set the NFL on fire.

Holt would lead the NFL in receiving yards during the 2000 season, thanks in part to the accuracy of Warner.

Both players look like future Hall of Famers.

12. Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne

Peyton Manning will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He has had some amazing help at wide receiver along the way.

Reggie Wayne has been an ideal receiver as a No. 1 and No. 2 target for Manning over the years. Unlike most players, Wayne's production gets better with age.

In 2010, he recorded a career best 111 catches, at 32 years old.

Wayne and Manning will both enter the Hall of Fame once their careers are over. With 787 receptions between the duo at this time, they may enter as the most productive quarterback/wide receiver connection ever.

11. Jim Zorn to Steve Largent

When Steve Largent retired, he held every major NFL receiving record: most receptions in a career (819), most receiving yards in a career (13,089), and most touchdown receptions (100).

Largent was an unlikely superstar, but all he did was catch pass after pass from Jim Zorn to fuel the Seahawks offense in the 1970s and 1980s.

Zorn would never receive the credit deserved for his role in getting Largent the ball when he was at his best.

10. Ken Stabler to Fred Biletnikoff

A quick look at the statistics of Ken Stabler and Fred Biletnikoff and you may think, "What's the big deal?"

Remebering that in the 1960s and 1970s, most NFL teams ran the ball a majority of the time, the numbers become more impressive.

Biletnikoff made the Hall of Fame after his brilliant career. Stabler has yet to hear his name called in Canton, Ohio.

9. John Hadl to Lance Alworth

During Lance Alworth's eight seasons, he led the league in receiving yards and receptions three times. He also set a Chargers record with 83 touchdowns.

Alworth held records for the most consecutive games with a reception (96) and still holds the record for the most games with 200-plus yards receiving (five) and was the only receiver to average more than 100 yards a game in three consecutive seasons.

Hadl did quite well himself, leading the league in passing twice and making six Pro Bowls.

8. Tom Brady to Randy Moss

Tom Brady was a great quarterback before Randy Moss joined the team in 2007, but what he did once Randy Moss was lined up outside at receiver was sick.

Moss and Brady combined for an NFL record 23 touchdowns in 2007, part of Brady's 50 touchdown season in which the Patriots went 16-0 during the regular season.

Moss and Brady would only play two full seasons together, but during that time, they were flawless.

7. Arnie Herber to Don Hutson

In the history of the NFL, two players stand apart as helping to start the passing trend in the NFL.

We have to reach way back to the 1930s to find Arnie Herber and Don Hutson setting the tone for the future of the forward pass in the NFL.

Hutson and Herber are credited with creating many of today's passing routes and helping to develop the ideology behind a passing offense.

Hutson held 18 major NFL records at the time of his retirement.

6. Johnny Unitas to Raymond Berry

In the 1950s and 1960s, there was no better wide receiver/quarterback connection than the Baltimore Colts duo of Raymond Berry and Johnny Unitas.

Berry and Unitas would lead the Colts to a win in Super Bowl V and carve out careers that would lead both to the Hall of Fame.

Berry led the NFL in receiving yards three times during his illustrious career. Unitas led the league in passing yards four times himself.

5. Jim Kelly to Andre Reed

Forget for a moment that the Buffalo Bills lost four Super Bowls and remember that they made four straight Super Bowls. Will anyone ever come close to that again?

The Bills were led on offense by quarterback Jim Kelly and his all-pro receiver Andre Reed.

Reed would make seven Pro Bowls with Kelly at quarterback while leading the Bills to four straight AFC Championship games.

The fact that Andre Reed is not in the Hall of Fame yet is a complete travesty.

4. Troy Aikman to Michael Irvin

The "team of the 90s" puts two of their three stars on our list of the greatest passing connections of all time.

In the 1990s, there were few quarterback/wide receiver connections able to compete with Jerry Rice and Joe Montana/Steve Young, but Irvin and Aikman did just that.

The two Hall of Famers never put up incredible numbers, due in large part to the running of Emmitt Smith, but their play powered the Cowboys to multiple Super Bowl wins in the decade and resulted in their both being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

3. Steve Young to Jerry Rice

If Steve Young had won more than one Super Bowl, our No. 3 team would be sitting at No. 1.

Steve Young to Jerry Rice does not have the ring of "Montana to Rice," but the two combined for better statistics than Montana/Rice over the course of their careers.

It was the play in the playoffs that separates Montana from Young.

Not to say Steve Young was not amazing. The numbers compiled by Young and Rice were an incredible thing to witness.

2. Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison

Any wide receiver who can put up 143 receptions in a single season is going to find himself way up on our list of the best passing connections ever.

Let that number sink in. 143 catches, in 16 games.

The duo of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison put up numbers during the regular season that would make a fantasy footballer drool.

So, why are they not No. 1 overall despite their incredible statistical dominance?

They have just one Super Bowl win under their belts.

1. Joe Montana to Jerry Rice

Was there really any question as to who this would be?

Joe Montana and Jerry Rice dominated football from 1985 to 1990, setting the stage for two Hall of Fame careers and recognition as two of the greatest football players of all time.

While Rice was a better statistical player with Steve Young, it was with Montana that he won two Super Bowl rings and established himself as the greatest receiver to ever play the game.