NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2024: Brandon Aiyuk, Cooper Kupp Among Nos. 70-61

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJuly 24, 2024

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The next group of the top 100 players in the NFL for the 2024 season was released Wednesday, and it was a good day to be a wide receiver.

Players 70 through 61 from the list that was voted on by the players themselves were revealed Wednesday, and the group included four of the most notable pass-catchers in the league:

The 33rd Team @The33rdTeamFB70-61 on the NFL Top 100, voted on by players 📊 https://t.co/hCjTdAzV4w pic.twitter.com/3eMdn0mQOQ

This comes after players 100 through 71 were already announced, including Garrett Wilson (No. 72), Justin Herbert (No. 75), Kirk Cousins (No. 81), D.K. Metcalf (No. 84), Saquon Barkley (No. 86), Aaron Rodgers (No. 92) and Trevor Lawrence (No. 94).

Amari Cooper, Cooper Kupp, Brandon Aiyuk and Jaylen Waddle highlight Wednesday’s standouts.

While Cooper may be overlooked compared to other top wide receivers around the league, he was once again excellent as a Pro Bowler with 1,250 receiving yards last season. It was the seventh time in his nine-year career he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark, and he showed no signs of slowing down while helping lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs.

NFL @NFLAmari Cooper had a team-record setting performance in Houston on Christmas Eve. Will he dominate again on Saturday?

📺: #CLEvsHOU – Saturday 4:30pm ET on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0zT3n4vRgf

As for Kupp, he was limited to just 12 games last season after playing nine games in 2022.

Still, it is impossible to forget his 2021 campaign, which saw him lead the league in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdown catches (16) as the Offensive Player of the Year. As if that wasn’t enough, he was also the Super Bowl MVP as his Los Angeles Rams took home the Lombardi Trophy.

The other wide receivers in Wednesday’s group have made headlines this offseason for different reasons.

Waddle and the Miami Dolphins agreed to a new contract extension during a very lucrative offseason for the position.

Justin Jefferson reset the market at an average of $35 million per year, while Waddle (average annual value of $28.3 million), A.J. Brown ($32 million) and Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million) also agreed to notable extensions.

Aiyuk is still looking for that type of deal from the San Francisco 49ers.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday that he will report to training camp despite requesting a trade and desiring a new contract.

Notably, 49ers general manager John Lynch also told reporters, “We fully intend on Brandon being a Niner.”

San Francisco fans surely hope that’s the case, as he remains one of the best players in the league as evidenced by this list.