Fantasy Sports

Jerry Rice is the owner of numerous NFL records and widely regarded as the best wide receiver ever to have played American Football. By taking a closer look at some of his records I want to point out how much of an accomplishment his career really was.

Let’s start with his record for most receptions. In his professional career of 21 years, not counting his stint with the Denver Broncos and retirement as a San Francisco 49er, he caught 1,549 passes. With the games of Week 8 not factoring in, the Top 10 receiving leaders in NFL history are:

* = active players

Marvin Harrison has not played yet this season and at age 37 his amount will not significantly increase.

Isaac Bruce dropped down the pecking order with the signing of Michael Crabtree and won’t play long enough to catch an additional 531 passes.

Terrell Owens has obviously seen better days. He would need at least another 10 years to break the record and would be 45 by then.

Tony Gonzalez is an interesting case. Had he stayed in Kansas City he could have closed the gap between the All Time Leader and the second place significantly. He could still end up at second place by the time he retires and be for tight ends what Jerry Rice is for wide receivers, the benchmark.

Torry Holt would need a minimum of 10 more years to break the record. He would be 43 by then.

Randy Moss is worth mentioning for a player who is not yet in the Top 10. The wide receiver of the New England Patriots has 886 receptions so far and is still an integral part of the organization. He could get close to Jerry Rice’s amount but will still fall short in my opinion. He needs at least 7 more years.

Among the younger generation only Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals looks like he could get closer to Jerry Rice’s number of receptions. Like all the other receivers currently active in the NFL he will not be able to steal a record away from Jerry Rice. I just don’t think his career will be long and productive enough.