NFL Analysis
1/9/25
7 min read
New Quarterback-Wide Receiver Duos We’d Like to See In 2025 NFL Season
The NFL is a pass-driven league, even with the running back renaissance in 2024.
Fans around the league fondly remember some of the iconic quarterback and wide receiver duos in recent history. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, Tom Brady and Randy Moss, and countless others have led some of the most exciting offenses of the modern era.
This offseason features some top free agent wide receivers, along with some electric draft prospects, who could usher in the next generation of iconic QB-WR duos. Here are a few that we would love to see in 2025 and beyond.
QB-WR Duos For 2025 NFL Season
#Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan (6-5, 210)
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) May 23, 2024
Tall, long striding target. A+ range and body control. Some similarities to Drake London coming out of USC. pic.twitter.com/Z8LHsPoAOc
Drake Maye and Tetairoa McMillan 
The New England Patriots are starving for a star wide receiver to pair with QB Drake Maye. There isn't a better option in the 2025 NFL Draft than Tetairoa McMillan.
While Arizona might have had a down year, McMillan continued to be an incredible playmaker for the Wildcats. On top of averaging a dominant 2.87 yards per route run this year, McMillan came away with 19-of-31 contested catches in jump-ball situations.
McMillan is the prototypical "alpha" outside receiver. He's a 6-foot-5 bully with elite body control and catch radius to come away with all kinds of highlight plays. On top of that, he has the burst and top-end play speed to stretch the field vertically, and it is difficult for smaller defensive backs to bring down after the catch.
Maye had a strong rookie year for New England, but the lack of reliable weapons had him playing on expert difficulty all year. McMillan could provide an elite-caliber safety blanket for the young quarterback, and the two could quickly become one of the most exciting duos in the league.
Jordan Love and Chris Godwin
The Green Bay Packers historically aren't big spenders at the wide receiver position, preferring to develop Day 2 and Day 3 prospects instead of taking players in the first round or spending big in free agency.
But what if Brian Gutekunst decided to take that home-run swing?
The Packers will need a wide receiver this offseason. Christian Watson's torn ACL means he's unlikely to return until the tail end of the 2025 season at best, and players like Dontayvion Wicks and Bo Melton haven't had the same kind of impact this season as fans were hoping.
Without Watson, the Packers don't have a great answer for beating man coverage, but Chris Godwin could bring that to Green Bay.
When healthy, the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout is one of the most well-rounded receivers in the league. According to TruMedia, he caught 17-of-21 targets for 158 yards and three touchdowns when facing man coverage this season with a very strong 2.03 yards per route run.
For reference, only Watson has a better YPRR against man coverage of the Packers starters. Romeo Doubs is at 1.65 YPRR against man, while Jayden Reed is at 0.93, and Wicks is all the way down at 0.75.
On top of his efficiency as a receiver, Godwin is an excellent blocker who would quickly become one of Matt LaFleur's favorite chess pieces. It's a match made in heaven in Green Bay, even if it's highly unlikely the Packers would be able to outbid other teams in free agency or even want to do so.
If a QB goes first overall, it should be Cam Ward.
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 8, 2025
He has some glaring red flags but the arm talent is truly special: https://t.co/wiqfUNJqqq pic.twitter.com/piDkCL4JVZ
Cam Ward and Malik Nabers
Malik Nabers was understandably frustrated with bad quarterback play with the New York Giants this season. A top-tier quarterback prospect like Cam Ward would make Nabers a lot less frustrated in 2025.
There's no guarantee that the Giants can land Ward with the third overall pick. If they do, it'll instantly ignite a spark in their offense. The former Incarnate Word and Washington State quarterback lit it up in his one year at Miami, throwing for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
While it took him a while to become a fully developed prospect, Ward's arm talent and ball placement at all three levels make him an exciting player to watch. He also has the pocket presence and enough athletic ability to extend plays and become an off-script playmaker, utilizing multiple arm angles to make absurd throws while on the move.
Nabers is such a dynamic and explosive weapon that he could thrive in those off-script situations, helping the Giants generate explosive plays with regularity. On top of that, head coach Brian Daboll staying in New York will allow him to design some exciting plays for his young and electric QB-WR duo.
Everything else would still be a work in progress, but a Ward-Nabers tandem could provide Giants fans with more excitement than they've had in years.
Tua Tagovailoa and Luther Burden III
If the Miami Dolphins decide to get another weapon, then Luther Burden III feels like the best possible fit in Mike McDaniel's offense.
Burden was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school and quickly became one of the most exciting receivers in the SEC for Missouri. During three seasons with the Tigers, he caught 193 passes for 2,283 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 2.32 YPRR.
Plus, Burden was also an impressively physical slot weapon for Missouri. He forced 64 missed tackles in his career after the catch and came away with 22 contested catches on 46 opportunities.
At 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, Burden is on the thicker side of traditional slot receivers, but that makes him that much more dangerous after the catch. That after-the-catch ability is what makes him such an ideal fit for McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins don't like to air it out often in this version of the offense, with Tagovailoa having the lowest average depth of target in the league. That scheme would allow Burden to continue making plays with the ball in his hands after the catch.
Tyreek Hill's future in Miami is uncertain, so adding another weapon like Burden could still give the Dolphins a dynamic receiving option in 2025 and beyond.
Bryce Young’s Deep ball accuracy this season has vastly improved from a year ago.
— IAmWestsideFetti 💙🖤🤟🏾 (@4MR_Fetti) January 8, 2025
The young QB in Charlotte is trending📈📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/2F6KXoBkDW
Bryce Young and Tee Higgins
There are a ton of quarterbacks who would fit great with Tee Higgins, but how exciting would it be to see him with Bryce Young as the former No. 1 pick continues to turn his NFL career around?
After being benched earlier this season, Young finished the year on an absolute tear. He threw seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three games. He also improved drastically as a deep-ball thrower, throwing some absolute dots that you can watch in the clip above.
Rookies Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette had promising seasons, but neither could bring the skill set that Higgins would bring to Carolina. He's an explosive 6-foot-4, 219-pound receiver who can dominate at all three levels of the field. He's coming off of a career year with 73 catches on 104 targets for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite being the No. 2 option behind Ja'Marr Chase.
Higgins would slot into Carolina and immediately be the No. 1 target for the Panthers. On top of that, it would allow Young and head coach Dave Canales to show what they're made of when given the resources to really cook.
The Panthers don't have the cap space to give Higgins a competitive offer, whereas a team like the New England Patriots or Las Vegas Raiders will certainly be able to dish out top-of-market money for the talented wideout. However, the Young-Higgins pairing would be a thrilling one to watch as Young continues to turn his career around.
