The NFL’s annual Top 100 poll, voted on entirely by the players, always makes for fun offseason fodder, as the results tend to swing in extreme fashion over a 12-month sample.
The NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2024, for example, featured Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the No. 1 spot. He earned it after posting back-to-back 119-catch, 1,700-yard seasons from 2022-23. That didn’t earn him much grace for the 2024 season, though. Hill struggled through a nagging wrist injury and poor quarterback play, failed to eclipse 1,000 yards for the first time since 2019, and plummeted to No. 47 on this year’s Top 100 list.
The NFL’s top player of 2025 — Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley — looks fine on paper coming off arguably the most dominant front-to-back rushing season in NFL history. But when you consider Barkley’s ranking of No. 86 overall at this time last year, following his final season with the New York Giants, you get the idea. This poll is more about popularity and recency bias than it is about the best and most consistent players in today’s game.
So by that logic, the Minnesota Vikings and their fans shouldn’t be surprised that the best player on their roster, wide receiver Justin Jefferson, was once again far too low on the annual final tally.
NFL players take clear stance on best WR entering 2025: Ja’Marr Chase over Justin Jefferson
Again, no one should be shocked that Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja’Marr Chase was voted by the players as the No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. He was a human highlight reel during the 2024 season, blowing up for 127 receptions, 1,708 yards, and 17 touchdowns.
When you stack Chase’s first four NFL seasons against Jefferson’s five on paper, they’re pretty close. Both players had one year affected by injuries, but still managed to eclipse 1,000 yards. Jefferson has the edge in total yards at 15.0 per reception, but Chase has been more elite at finding the end zone, with 46 touchdowns in 62 games (Jefferson has 40 receiving TDs in 77 games).
But there are hidden factors that need to be added to the algorithm here, starting with each player's quarterback situation. Chase has been catching passes from Joe Burrow since their days together at LSU. Jefferson started his career with Kirk Cousins under center, and managed to post 103 catches, 1,533 yards, and 10 touchdowns in 2024 with journeyman Sam Darnold as his QB.
The Bengals also had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year in just about every category. Yes, in fantasy football, Chase was by far the better player than Jefferson, but the Bengals were basically in shootout mode all year. They were the only team to finish top 10 in scoring offense and miss the playoffs — thanks to also finishing top 10 in points allowed.
Jefferson definitely deserves more love in these Top 100 rankings (and his No. 18 finish last year was laughable, even with the midseason hamstring injury). That's just how it goes with the NFL's annual poll. Vikings fans will remain bullish on Jefferson being a top-five talent and the best wide receiver in football, and while they may be wearing purple and gold goggles, they’re not wrong.