Projecting Rice Futures

Forty-niner wideout Jerry Rice tells SI he wants to play eight more years—until 1998, when he will be 36 and would have played 14 seasons. "I'm in the best shape of my life now," says Rice. "I think I'd still feel great then." Convinced that he needed some extra armor, though, Rice added 12 pounds of muscle in the off-season.

No receiver in history has more receptions (446), receiving yards (7,866) or touchdown catches (79) in his first six NFL seasons than Rice. The Elias Sports Bureau projected his career numbers through 14 seasons, and the new figures indicated that Rice would clearly become the most productive receiver in history.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Rice said when he saw Elias's projections. "As I play longer, I want my play to improve. This is a good incentive."

Here is how the Elias stats compare with those of the alltime leaders in each category:

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]