10 Greatest Wide Receivers that NEVER Won a Super Bowl Ring

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When it comes to the greatest wide receivers ever? A large chunk of them never got to experience winning the ultimate prize. Jerry Rice did, sure. But most of the guys right behind him on the all-time receiving leaders list fell short of the biggest prize in football.

10. James Lofton

One of the NFL’s top offensive players in the ‘80s, James Lofton certainly deserved a Super Bowl ring. Or two. Or three.  He played with the Green Bay Packers from 1978 to 1986, but this was during one of the worst stretches in the franchise’s history. This wasn’t the Bart Starr or Brett Favre glory days.  An eight-time Pro Bowler, Lofton joined Jim Kelly’s Buffalo Bills and had THREE chances to win a Super Bowl, but the Bills lost four consecutive big games in the ‘90s.

Brief stops with the LA Rams and Philadelphia Eagles didn’t amount to anything. Lofton retired as one of the greatest wideouts to never win a championship.

9. Andre Reed

Alongside quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and the Buffalo Bills revolutionized the no-huddle offense in the ‘90s. This nearly-unstoppable juggernaut reached four straight Super Bowls at the start of the decade, losing all four.  As such, Reed, Thomas and Kelly were among the three greatest NFL players that never captured a championship ring.

8. Steve Smith Sr.

Very few guys who stand at 5-foot-9 and weigh under 200 pounds have ever made it big as a wide receiver in the NFL; enter Steve Smith. The long-time Carolina Panthers star got his team OH-SO-CLOSE to a Super Bowl championship multiple times in his career. The five-time Pro Bowler Smith and the Panthers reached Super Bowl 38, where they fell to the New England Patriots on a last-second Adam Vinatieri field goal.

Two years later, Carolina reached the NFC Championship game, where they fell to the Seattle Seahawks.  Smith got Carolina to the playoffs in 2008 and 2013 as well, but they went one-and-done both years.

His last good chance at a ring was in 2014, when he guided the Baltimore Ravens to the AFC Divisional Round.  The Ravens lost to the Patriots, and Smith wouldn’t appear in another playoff game.

7. Andre Johnson

Drafted third overall by the Houston Texans in 2003, Andre Johnson was everything the young franchise could have asked for. He was one of the NFL’s most explosive playmakers for a decade, having racked up seven 1,000-yard seasons.  The 6-foot-3 Johnson had the bulk of his prime years wasted by horrible Texans teams. They got to the playoffs with him in 2011 and 2012, but they lost in the Divisional Round both times.

Johnson signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2015, hoping Andrew Luck could help him win a Super Bowl. But the Colts faltered that season, with Luck getting injured and Johnson struggling to fit their offensive system.  Johnson had one final stop with the Tennessee Titans in 2016 before retiring for good. He’s a lock for the Hall of Fame, but it’s a darn shame he NEVER came close to playing for a Lombardi Trophy.

6. Steve Largent

The Seattle Seahawks legend was one of the few bright spots for a team that struggled for much of the ‘70s and ‘90s. Largent was a seven-time Pro Bowler and was the all-time leader in career receptions, touchdown catches and receiving yards when he retired after the 1989 season.

The Seahawks only made the playoffs four times in Largent’s career. They did reach the 1983 AFC Championship Game, but they were blown out by the Los Angeles Raiders, 30 to 14. And Largent would never come close to sniffing a Super Bowl again.

5. Tim Brown

Raiders’ legend Tim Brown could take over a game at any moment. Named to the 1990s All-Decade Team, Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler who helped the Raiders turn a corner in the late ‘90s.

Brown revived the career of quarterback Rich Gannon, who won the 2002 NFL MVP Award and guided the team to a trip to Super Bowl 37.  It was Brown’s only shot at a Super Bowl ring, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense completely shut down the Raiders offense. Brown’s Raiders fell 48 to 21, and the Pro Football Hall of Famer would retire after the 2004 season.

4. Cris Carter

After three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Carter joined the Vikings in 1990, where he’d emerge as one of the greatest football players of the decade. He had 1,000-yard seasons every year from 1993 to 2000.

The eight-time Pro Bowler formed a historically dominant offense with Randall Cunningham and Randy Moss in 1998. Of course, the heavy Super Bowl favorites choked in the NFC Championship Game and lost to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.

3. Calvin Johnson

Just imagine what other records ‘Megatron’ could have broken if the Lions weren’t terrible.

Calvin Johnson – with great size, hands and all-around athleticism – could catch everything. He broke triple coverage every now and then, and perhaps no wide receiver has been harder to cover one-on-one in the past 20 years.

The six-time Pro Bowler helped the Detroit Lions reach the playoffs in 2011 and 2014, but they went one-and-done both years. Johnson shockingly retired after the 2015 season. Megatron’s record of 1,964 receiving yards in a single season – set in 2012 – may never be broken

 

2.  Terrell Owens

After falling out of favor with the Niners in 2003, T.O. was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles. He and quarterback Donovan McNabb lit up the scoreboard time and time again, and the Eagles reached Super Bowl 39.

 

Despite a big game from Owens, Philly lost 24 to 21, watching the Patriots win their third title in four years. Owens later joined the Dallas Cowboys, but they endured a pair of gut-wrenching playoff losses in his tenure there.

1,078 career receptions. 15,934 receiving yards. 153 touchdowns. Not enough to win a Super Bowl.

1. Randy Moss

The greatest wide receiver not named Jerry Rice had his fair share of chances at winning it all, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Moss was on the legendary ‘98 Minnesota Vikings team that was one Gary Anderson kick away from playing in Super Bowl 33.

He and Tom Brady re-wrote the record books in the 2007 season. The Patriots won their first 18 games and looked poised to win Super Bowl 42. But you know what happens next. Eli Manning and the Giants spoil the Pats’ perfect season in the waning seconds of the Big Game.

Moss comes back for one more year in 2012, trying to win it all with the San Francisco 49ers. They lose to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47 by a score of 34 to 31.  Moss finished his career with 982 career receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. Very impressive numbers, yet it wasn’t enough to win that elusive Lombardi Trophy.

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