They only played together for 7 seasons but Montana/Rice is the greatest QB/Receiver duo of all time. I think it can be argued that Brady is better than Montana, even if I don't think so, but there is no comparable athlete to Jerry Rice. He is in a class of his own which is why ESPN ranked him as the #1 football player of all time.
The Hall of Famer owns the record for most receptions and touchdown catches in NFL history, but it is his incredible mark of 22,895 career receiving yards that topped this list.
Consider that Terrell Owens, second on the all-time receiving list, finished his career with 15,934 yards and you'll have no problem understanding why Rice's record seems so out of reach.
The active leader is longtime Indianapolis Colts wideout Reggie Wayne with 14,343 yards, but he is 36 years old and nearing the end of his career. The player with the most yards who is still in his prime is Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson. Still, Johnson, at 29 years old and 10,405 career yards, is nowhere near the record.
That's because in 20 NFL seasons, Rice averaged 1,090 receiving yards. How that's for production and longevity?
"Nobody in the first 95 seasons of the NFL is even close to Rice in this category," Harrison wrote. "And no one will touch him in the next 95. He is the Babe Ruth of the sport, plain and simple."