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Following the 2023 release ofNetflix’soriginal sports docuseriesQuarterback,Receiverjoined the platform on July 10,2024, and became just as popular. The 8-part series follows five excellentNational Football League players, including four Wide Receivers and one Tight End, as they juggle their personal lives with demanding professional duties. Chronicling each player’s ups and downs throughout the 2023 NFL season, celebrating triumphant wins and grappling with painful losses, navigating injury and rehab, and more, the behind-the-scenes doc hints at many things to come in 2024.
With less than one month until the 2024 NFL pre-season begins, watching Netflix’sReceiverwill provide fans with a snapshot of the competitive landscape ahead, with great expectations put on teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and personal records targeted by the league’s best Wide Receivers, The Raiders' Davante Adams and the Vikings' Justin Jefferson. While every NFL season is different and hard to predict,Receiverforetells big things to come for its five main stars.
What Is Receiver About & Who Participates
Whereas Netflix’s sports documentaryQuarterbackseries focused on the talent and leadership qualities required by National Football League signal callers,Receiverfocuses on the position of Wide Receiver. In addition to catching passes from the quarterback, the best receivers in the game possess far more than sure hands.The most reliable and well-rounded receivers are great catchers, expert route runners, excellent blockers in the running game, team players, vocal leaders, and teammates who lead by example.
Four Wide Receivers and one Tight End were chosen to participate inthe Netflix sports docuseries. The receivers includeDavante Adams(Las Vegas Raiders),Justin Jefferson(Minnesota Vikings),Amon-Ra St. Brown(Detroit Lions), andDeebo Samuel(San Francisco). Samuel’s teammate, Tight EndGeorge Kittle(San Francisco 49ers) also participates, informing viewers of the differences between each position. Adams and Jefferson are currently considered the Top 2 Receivers in the game for their explosive talents, and St. Brown is one of the most exciting young stars in the league. Samuel and Kittle are unique specimens of their positions, and their versatility opens up their offense considerably.
Between intense practice, brutal injury rehab, and the bright lights of game day,Receiversheds light onthe players' livesaway from the field and the locker room. For instance, the birth of Jefferson’s daughter is included, as is Kittle’s tradition of renting a party bus to usher friends and family to home games. With the on-field intensity and off-field relaxation,Receivershows exactly what it takes to be among the NFL’s top-tier pass catchers.
Deebo Samuel & George Kittle
San Francisco 49ers
In the opening episode, “Great Expectations Part 1,” San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel and George Kittle reflect on losing the National Football Conference Championship the year prior after Quarterback Brock Purdy suffered an injury versus the Philadelphia Eagles. As the teammates discuss their inspiration to make it one game further to the Super Bowl, their specific skill sets and competitive drive are presented.
Samuel is often described as a “Swiss Army Knife” forhis versatile ability to play Wide Receiver and Running Backon any given play, whileKittle is more of a hybrid Tight-End/Wide Receiver who is just as adept at catching the ball as he is blocking for others. The series follows Samuel and Kittle’s preparation and the team’s success over the entire season, including a revenge victory against the Eagles and culminating in a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl 58 versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite the soul-crushing defeat in the most recent Super Bowl,the 49ers are the betting favorites to return to the Super Bowl in the 2024-2025 season(as per ESPN). Although Deebo and Kittle return to a loaded team, the documentary also suggests that the window of opportunity for the 49ers is becoming more narrow each year. If the 49ers face the presumptive AFC representative Kansas City Chiefs, it will be the third Super Bowl match between the two teams since 2020.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Detroit Lions
The most likable of the lot, Amon-Ra St. Brown is defined by the chip he has on his shoulder and the work ethic instilled by his father. The son of two-time Mr. Universe, John Brown, Amon-Ra was a 4th-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions who has outplayed his draft position considerably. His journey inthe thrilling sports documentaryentails overcoming a serious oblique injury and only missing one game en route to being named All-Pro (Top 3 at one’s position in the entire league) for the first time in his career.
Unlike the 49ers, who were expected to be competitive,the Lions had few expectations going into the 2023-2024 season and exceeded the fanbase’s wildest dreams. The Lions won 12 games in 2023-2024 and their first playoff game in 30 years. After winning again in the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Lions faced the 49ers in the NFC Championship. St. Brown had a terrific game, but the Lions fell short after blowing a halftime lead.
St. Brown earned a massive contract extension in the off-season and vowed to go harder for his teammates in 2024. Despite being a highly-touted draft pick, St. Brown has become one of the best, toughest, and most reliable receivers. The Lions have the fifth-shortest odds to reach the Super Bowl this coming season, behind only the 49ers and Eagles.
Davante Adams
Las Vegas Raiders
The eldest veteran of the bunch,Davante Adams, is considered the best Wide Receiver in the NFL next to Justin Jefferson. Adams is a consummate professional whose route-running is impossible to predict, and his toughness is hard to beat. Yet, for Adams,no longer playing with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers has provided an immense challenge. Now playing for The Las Vegas Raiders on a team where the quarterback position is uncertain, Adams is incredibly candid about this stage in his career, team and individual goals, training process, and more.
More dramatic than the others for the wrong reasons, The Raiders experienced turmoil mid-season when their head coach was fired and replaced with the interim coach and former player, Antonio Pierce. Once Pierce took over the team, the Raiders responded with a 5-4 won-loss record. Pierce was named full-time coach for the success, with Adams supporting the decision.
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Although it will be difficult for Adams to replicate the success he had in Green Bay with quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew III in 2024, The Raiders are expected to challenge the Chiefs for the AFC West title and have the 14th-shortest odds of reaching the Super Bowl this season.
Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings’Justin Jefferson is considered the most talented and explosive receiver in the NFL. However,he is coming off a disappointing, injury-riddled season that left him sidelined for seven games. Partially due to his injury, the Vikings took a step backward from the year prior and failed to make the playoffs in 2023. Unfortunately, the team has experienced more instability and tragedy since the season ended, putting a damper on the team’s outlook in 2024.
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After taking the league by storm in 2022 with quarterback Kirk Cousins, Jefferson and Cousins were badly injured in 2023. In the off-season, the Vikings opted not to resign Cousins to a contract, and he has since joined the Atlanta Falcons. For Jefferson to prove he is still the best receiver in the NFL, he’ll have to prove it with journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy. Yet, Jefferson’s self-confidence never wavers inthe popular sports TV show.
Far more tragically, fellow Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson was fatally shot on June 11, 2025. Two weeks later, on July 20th, Vikings Wide Receiver Jordan Addison was arrested for a DUI in Los Angeles.For the Vikings to compete in 2024, Jefferson must elevate his game and assume a bigger leadership role. Despite having the best receiver in the game, The Vikings have the ninth-longest odds of making it to the Super Bowl in 2024.
