When it comes to naming the greatest wide receiver of all time, there is no debate. It’s Jerry Rice hands down. With 38 NFL records on his resume, no one comes close to approaching the numbers he’s produced during his 20-year career; a career that came to a close Monday as he announced his retirement from the game rather than be buried on the Denver Broncos depth chart.
Obviously his skills have eroded over the past few years, to the point where he no longer resembles the figure who consistently converted short slants into 70-yard touchdowns while in his prime. But his love of the game is still strong. However, pride wouldn’t allow him to settle for anything less than a job as the No. 3 man in the wide receiver rotation. When it became apparent he would land nothing better than the fourth slot in Denver, he walked away.
Rice began his NFL career as a highly-touted prospect out of Mississippi Valley State in 1985. But his 4.7 speed in the 40-yard dash caused teams to shy away from him on draft day before the San Francisco 49ers selected him with the 16th pick in the first round. Twenty years and 303 games later, Rice ranks among the Jim Brown’s and Walter Payton’s as one of the best to ever strap on the shoulder pads.
During his career, Rice caught 1,549 passes for 22,895 yards and had 197 touchdown receptions. To put those numbers in perspective, take a look at those he has long-since surpassed. Cris Carter is second to Rice with 1,101 receptions; a difference of 448 catches from No. 1 to No. 2. And it was Carter again who registered 67 fewer receiving touchdowns to once again finish second to Rice. The legendary Tim Brown falls an unbelievable 8,000 yards short of Rice in receiving yards despite playing for 17 years himself. The difference alone in these stats would be considered a great career by most receivers.
Most consecutive games with a pass reception: Rice 274, Art Monk 183.
Most seasons over 1,000 yards receiving: Rice 14, Tim Brown 9
Most games over 100 yards receiving: Rice 76, Don Maynard 50
And the list goes on and on. The disparity between Rice and his closest rival is phenomenal, which is why he is easily the best receiver the league has ever seen.
Some might argue that Randy Moss deserves consideration in that argument, but he’s produced just over one third the receptions Rice did. It will take him more than another dozen seasons, at 80 receptions per season (Moss’s career average), to approach the number of catches Rice recorded. And Rice also holds a big advantage with three Super Bowl rings while Moss has yet to win his first.
Rice’s five-year wait for Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility begins now, but it is a mere formality. His enshrinement is as set in stone as NFL football on a crisp fall Sunday afternoon and his name may never be eclipsed in many major categories of the NFL record books.
