Odell Beckham Jr. made it known that he wants to be at the top of the all-time receiving list when all is said and done in his career.
That means he’d have to pass Jerry Rice, who caught wind of what the Cleveland Browns’ star wide receiver’s bold statement.
In a recent interview with GQ’s Mark Anthony Green, Beckham said his goal for his career is to hit 23,000 yards, which would best Rice’s current NFL record of 22,895 yards. Rice is far and away at the top, more than 6,000 yards better than Larry Fitzgerald, who’s No. 2 on the all-time career receiving.
In the interview, Beckham was asked about his career timeline and how many years he thinks he has left in the tank.
“You want to play 10 more seasons,” Green asked.
“Yeah. Or until I can pass Jerry,” Beckham responded. “That’s the goal: 23,000 yards.”
Rice encouraged OBJ’s chase on Twitter, simply saying in response, “Best wishes.”
Could Odell Beckham Jr. Pass Jerry Rice?
The claim is surely a bold one by Beckham, but is it even possible to catch Rice considering that no one has even got close to his numbers?
So far in his five-year career, OBJ has hauled in 390 passes for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns in 59 games and wants to do even bigger things with the Browns this season.
He’s a little off Rice’s numbers through his first five seasons. The 49ers’ legend had 6,364 yards through his first half-decade in the league, aided by a huge 1,570-yard season in just his second year.
However, injuries have played a role. Rice missed just four games early in his career, while Beckham has missed 16 games in the last two seasons alone. When it comes to averages, Beckham has notched 92.8 yards per game through his first five seasons, while Rice averaged 83.7.
Beckham also owns the edge in the highlight department. While Rice is the current and unquestioned GOAT among wide receivers, he doesn’t have a play quite like OBJ’s one-handed grab in 2015 in his highlight reel.
If Beckham can stay on the field, he’s expected to have a career season in Cleveland with Baker Mayfield tossing him the ball.
In just 13 starts, Mayfield threw for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns during his rookie campaign, showing no hesitation to make the tough throws downfield. The Browns finished 7-8-1 as Mayfield set the record for touchdown passes by a rookie, which was previously held by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson.
“I’m so excited about the opportunity that I have to be in Cleveland! I think it goes for everything I stand for when I talk about legendary,” Beckham said. “The Catch was cool. It was legendary, in a sense. But legendary is going to Cleveland and trying to win a championship. And I have to go back to this comment because I said something recently about being the Patriots: Who does not get into this game to be 11-and-5 or 12-and-4 every season, to win their conference, to win the championship, to go to the Super Bowl? What else would you do this for? Every year at the Giants, when they’d ask me, ‘What are your goals this year?’ I would say to win a Super Bowl. There’s no sugarcoating it. Even if you feel like your team can’t do it, the goal is to win the Super Bowl. I don’t understand what else I’m playing for. Playing to have a good season? No, bro. I’m trying to win the Super Bowl.”
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Jerry Rice Responds to Odell Beckham’s Bold Claim