A revolution occurred in professional football at the turn of the century. The St. Louis Rams offense emerged as the Greatest Show on Turf and led the NFL in passing for three consecutive seasons.

The streak ended after the 2001 campaign. During that period, the Rams, who were led by Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, averaged 4,992 passing yards per season.

Twenty years later, nine different teams threw for 4,500 or more yards. Further comparison shows only two teams eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in 2001. Nearly half of the league passed that number last season.

Yes, the NFL is a passing league.

To take full advantage of how the game has been trending over the last two decades, teams need weapons on the outside. Those playmakers are now more valuable than ever as the league continues to evolve, and the influx of talent from the collegiate ranks creates more opportunities in the passing game.

Last season, all 32 teams had three or more wide receivers on the field for 65 percent of the snaps, according to Sharp Football’s Warren Sharp.

Let’s backtrack for a second. While Warner’s “American Underdog” story became the basis of a Hollywood film, his wide receivers shouldn’t be considered secondary characters. Isaac Bruce is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Torry Holt went on to become a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. Az-Zahir Hakim served as a deep threat. And Ricky Proehl played 17 seasons in the league. The talent found among this group helped to create a storybook ending.

Traditionally, NFL economics were built around the concept of four premium positions.

Quarterback, offensive tackle, pass-rusher and cornerback held the most value based in part on how they affected passing games. Wide receiver officially crashed the party this offseason as an avalanche of movement occurred at the position, which helped reset the market.

The Green Bay Packers traded the game’s best wide receiver, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders, and he subsequently signed a record-setting $140 million contract. The Miami Dolphins acquired Tyreek Hill from the Kansas Chiefs and signed him to a $120 million deal. The Dallas Cowboys flipped Amari Cooper and his $100 million contract to the Cleveland Browns. The Tennessee Titans decided to trade A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during draft weekend, and he then signed a new $100 million agreement.

Those are just the biggest moves of the offseason (so far).

Currently, 12 different wide receivers are under contract with average annual salaries of between $20-30 million. Nine of those deals were agreed upon within the last few months.

Only three offensive tackles are making $20 million per season. Only one has at least a $100 million deal compared to four at wide receiver. A similar financial trajectory has taken place at cornerback, where three players at the position make $20 million or more annually, with two claiming at least $100 million in total value.