Golden Nuggets: Old footage shows 49ers’ great Jerry Rice embarrassing teammates

Wide receiver Jerry Rice is regarded as the greatest NFL player in history. USA Todau named Rice No. 1 in its top 100 players of all time, and he was an easy choice for the NFL’s all-time ream roster.

The guy was so good, that he played 21 seasons in the league as a receiver. Rice had so many weapons in his arsenal to get open. He was shifty, fast, and smarter than the opposing defender.

Matt Drinkall shared an old video of Rice embarrassing teammates on Twitter. Although it looks like the footage was shot with a potato, you get an idea of just how dominant Rice was as route-runner:

Rice spent 16 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and put up ridiculous numbers. He caught 1,281 passes for 19,247 yards, and 176 receiving touchdowns during his time with the Niners, before moving on to play for the Oakland Raiders after the 2000 season.

He spent another five years in the league, finishing his career with 1,549 receptions for 22,985 yards, and 197 receiving TDs. To put things in perspective, Larry Fitzgerald is second in all-time receiving yards, but sits just over 5,800 yards behind Rice. Former Niner Terrell Owens is third, but as The Ringer’s Danny Heiftiz points out, the gap between Rice and Owens is bigger than the gap between Owens and Fred Biletnikoff, who is tied for 63rd all time.

Rice also holds the NFL record with 208 career touchdowns, 33 ahead of Emmitt Smith. Fitzgerald is the leader among active players with 120, while Adrian Peterson is just behind him at 117. Both of those guys are in the twilight of their careers, meaning no one is catching Rice anytime soon.

The footage was just a reminder of how great Rice was. He won three Super Bowls with the 49ers, and will always be loved for his efforts during his time with San Francisco.

What is your favorite Jerry Rice memory?

On to some links:

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San Francisco may look to bring in a veteran receiver to compete for a job leading up to the start of the 2020 season. Fansided’s Randy Gurzi says one former Cowboy could be the answer the 49ers are looking for.

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The Niners are set at the QB position. Fansided’s Peter Panacy looks at three burning questions focused on the quarterbacks going into the 2020 season.