Many consider Jerry Rice, the three-time Super Bowl champion and former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, to be the best football player of all time. There are abundant reasons why — his numerous unfathomable NFL records chief among them.
But there’s always more with Rice — a never-before-heard-of story, a little-known fact or even a tall tail or two.
Case in point — ESPN’s Field Yates brought up Rice’s NFL receiving exploits after the Hall of Famer turned 40 years old. The nod was prompted by a question posed on Twitter asking, “What is the most unbelievable sports stat you have ever heard?”
Take a look at the tweet here, with details about yet another unbelievable feat by Rice.
Literally no NFL WR has had any stats after turning 40 years old, per Yates. It’s pure comedy that quarterbacks Tom Brady and Brett Favre notched a few catches, however.
But of course there’s a back story here. Those receptions didn’t happen when Rice was on the 49ers. The 49ers actually let Rice walk via free agency, but in typical 49ers fashion, they had a superb backup plan — WR Terrell Owens, who was exploding onto the scene as Rice neared 40.
Rice played his later years with the then Oakland Raiders and had a cup of coffee with the Seahawks. He was still a special player with the Raiders, helping to lead that club to the Super Bowl in 2001. He was one of the only Raiders to show up for that game, too, as Oakland was blown out.
Such is the greatness of Rice. The 49ers legend is perhaps the best player to ever lace ’em up, no matter the age and no matter the uniform, though he’ll always be remembered for his days in red and gold as a great 49ers WR.
(Photo courtesy Quintano Media)
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