They’ve only been teammates for three seasons, but A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have formed perhaps the most iconic receiving duo in Philadelphia Eagles history. With two NFC Championship victories and a Super Bowl title to their name, they’ve reached the top of the mountain.
But when all’s said and done, where will they rank among the team’s receivers, historically?
Scoping Out the Receiving Leaderboard
Assuming the two stay healthy, it’s safe to assume that both Brown and Smith will be top-10 receivers in terms of yardage in Eagles history by the end of the 2025 regular season. Presently, they sit 14th and 15th, with just over 4,000 yards apiece. However, Brent Celek (4,998 yards) and Jeremy Maclin (4,771 yards) are within passing distance.
Despite both players facing injury in 2024, if Brown and Smith can re-up on their totals from last season, the former would pass Celek and the latter, Maclin. While Dallas Goedert is a current receiver to watch, as he’s at 4,085 career yards, he’s not poised to overtake any of them as the third receiving option on the offense.
Moving up further on the leaderboard will take subsequent seasons, but both wideouts are under multi-year deals. Entering the top seven in Eagles history is a lock if they remain on the team through 2026—across the next two seasons, Brown would only need to average 794 yards to take the sixth spot from Pete Pihos, and Smith 745 yards to take seventh from Tommy McDonald.
Spots three through five are about equal—DeSean Jackson (6,512), Mike Quick (6,464), and Zach Ertz (6,267) are separated by about 250 yards. As the No. 1 receiver on the offense, Brown is the most likely to surpass one of these names over the next two seasons. He’d need to average 1,241 yards to take third, 1,217 for fourth, and a reasonable 1,119 for fifth. The 28-year-old averaged 1,266 receiving yards across 2023 and 2024, so he should make things close if health permits it. Smith, meanwhile, has never reached these marks in a two-year span.
Second place may be attainable, held by Pete Retzlaff with 7,412 yards. If Brown repeats his three-year yardage totals as an Eagle, he’ll make it with flying colors (by 650 yards). However, there’s always the chance that he regresses due to age, misses significant time from injuries, or moves on to a different team. Smith’s age (26) could allow him to reach this number, too.
First place is probably out of the discussion. Harold Carmichael’s 8,978 yards may stand the test of time—a total he accumulated over 13 seasons. Longevity and loyalty are a hard combination to find in the salary cap era. But Smith, who was drafted by the Birds, might be the one to finally break it. Brown could be in this discussion, as well.
Brown & Smith’s Impact on the Franchise
Beyond simple numbers, these two have impacted the Eagles in ways that maybe only Ertz has—establishing a winning culture. With two Super Bowl appearances and one win, Brown and Smith are sure to never be forgotten. Their clutch play in both games, even if defeat was the result of the first, matters more to fans (and likely players) than any regular-season accolade.
Already, Smith is the No. 1 receiver in playoff history for the franchise, with 595 yards. Goedert deserves a shoutout here, finding himself in second place, but the former’s “dagger” in Super Bowl LIX to extend the Eagles’ lead to 33 points (pre-PAT) will be engraved in the minds of fans for generations. Brown’s postseason impact has been lesser, with a distant 309 yards, but he also had the game-winning score in last year’s Super Bowl.
It’s hard to say how history will look upon Brown and Smith precisely. Still, each player could have a case as a top-three receiver in team history. With excellent regular-season numbers and playoff dominance to boot, that combination sets them apart.
PHOTO: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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