The 2023 season saw a slight resurgence for receivers 30 years and older, as Mike Evans, 30, and Keenan Allen, 31, both had over 1,200 yards. Also, Stefon Diggs, 30, Davante Adams, 31, DeAndre Hopkins, 31, and Adam Thielen, 33, all had over 1,000 yards.
In seasons prior to 2023, that just flat out wasn’t happening, especially if you were older than 30. The last relevant receiver over 30 was Julian Edelman and he’s not exactly who you think of when you think of number ones.
The fact of the matter is that teams aren’t just weighing the value of their veteran receivers at 30 and 31 in a vacuum.