Getty Former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice.
Antonio Brown wants to go down as the greatest receiver of all time. He went so far as to say during his introductory press conference with the Raiders that he wanted to catch up to Jerry Rice’s receiving records.
“My goal really is to catch Jerry Rice,” Brown said during his first press conference as a Raider. “Playing with a guy like coach Gruden, obviously he knows what it takes to keep me upright and fresh and keep me out there for a long time.”
Brown would need to put up otherworldly stats to even come close to Rice’s ridiculous stat sheet. Marcus White at NBC Sports broke down what would take for Brown to catch up to Rice:
Brown, 31, has played 130 games, caught 837 passes for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns in his nine-year NFL career. In order to surpass Rice, Brown needs to play 174 more games, have 713 additional receptions for 11,689 more yards. Brown would also need to score 124 additional touchdowns.
Doing so would require Brown to average the following per-game statistics: Four receptions, 67 yards and 0.71 touchdowns. Assuming the NFL regular-season schedule doesn’t expand to 18 games, Brown would have to play 11 more seasons and play every game in those seasons.
Obviously, it would seem that catching any of Rice’s records would look like an unrealistic proposition for Brown. The only one that he could probably sniff is the reception record as he’s made over 100 receptions in each of the last six years. If he does that for seven more years, the record will be within reach. If anybody can keep up with that production, it’s Brown. His work ethic is legendary and his dietary habits are impressive.
Follow the Heavy Oakland Raiders page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
The Raiders and Antonio Brown invited the GOAT to the facilities this past week where Brown and he went over film together. It was a welcome return as Rice donned the silver and black during the previous Jon Gruden era and was a solid contributor despite being on the back end of his career.
There’s almost no disputing that Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and many think he’s the greatest overall player ever. Brown seeking his counsel is wise, especially since he’s trying to catch up to him. The two receivers also took the field and chatted it up.
Just like Rice, Brown will be donning the silver and black as his second team, but Brown comes to the Raiders as a younger man. When Rice joined, he was already 39. Rice still put up 3,286 in just a little more than the three seasons with the Raiders. If Brown can somehow match the late career production that Rice did, the Raiders could have a decade of greatness at wideout ahead of them. Rice noted in his meeting with Brown how good he looks in the silver and black. Hopefully, he can look as good as Rice did back in the day.
READ NEXT: Rookie Standouts Among 4 Topics to Watch at Raiders Minicamp