Calvin Johnson thinks Puka Nacua could break his receiving record

There have been some close calls, but Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record has stood since he set it as a member of the Detroit Lions in 2012. He racked up an NFL-record 1,964 yards in 16 games with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback, a number that was most recently challenged by Cooper Kupp in 2021, when he had 1,947 yards – also with Stafford at quarterback.

>Records are meant to be broken, and now with regular seasons being 17 games, it’s possible Johnson’s mark will be eclipsed in the future. He was asked by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press which receiver could overtake his record, and he picked Puka Nacua.

>"He's still got Matthew, so I think he's got a shot," Johnson said at his annual golf outing Monday. "If he stays healthy, that dude's a killer out there."

>Nacua’s quarterback, of course, is Stafford. For that reason, Johnson thinks it would be cool to see Nacua break the record with No. 9 under center.

>"That would be kind of dope," Johnson said. "I'd have to go to that game if he did that, cause I like Puka. He's getting some crap out of his system that's just a young guy, just learning, but I think he's an awesome, dynamic receiver."

>Stafford has been the quarterback for Johnson’s single-season record, Kupp’s triple crown and Nacua’s rookie yardage record, so he’s been a wide receiver’s best friend over the years. It would be a full-circle moment for him to help Nacua break Johnson’s record this season, 14 years after it was set.

>The biggest hurdle for Nacua is his health. He plays so hard that he’s bound to get banged up over the course of a season, causing him to miss time the way he has in the last two years.

>But even after missing one full game and parts of two others last season, Nacua still had 1,715 yards – a league-high 107.2 per game. If he and Stafford both stay healthy in 2026, the sky’s the limit.

>This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Puka Nacua could break NFL receiving record, Calvin Johnson says