Broncos catch Rice looking for work

[BuckFoston]

Jerry Rice, an NFL legend, is going to have to prove himself all over again.

At age 42.

The wide receiver - with 1,549 career catches, 208 touchdowns, 20 NFL seasons, 13 Pro Bowls and three Super Bowl championships on his résumé - agreed Wednesday to a one-year deal with the Broncos. His contract calls for him to make $765,000 with a $25,000 signing bonus, an NFL source said.

Rice agreed to come to Denver even though coach Mike Shana- han has told him his place on the roster is not guaranteed.

"It worked out perfect with Mike in the conversation we had," Rice said Wednesday. "He is not rolling out the red carpet. I have always had to compete for a job and that's the way I prefer it. I have always had to prove myself and this is nothing new."

Rice's agent, Jim Steiner, said there are compelling reasons Rice wants to play a 21st season in the NFL.

"What drives Jerry is his love for the game and the passion that still

Jerry Rice will attempt to play his 21st season in the NFL with the Broncos after starring for the 49ers and Raiders and being released by the Seahawks. (Getty / Tom Hauck)
burns in his gut," Steiner said. "And he has a passion not just for playing, but for winning. He wanted to play for a contending team like the Broncos. Plus, he thinks that Coach Shanahan knows how to use him better than any coach in the league."

The most recent man to throw to Rice, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, predicted Rice not only will make the Broncos' roster, he will make the Broncos better in 2005.

"Absolutely Jerry can still play," Hasselbeck said. "He might not have caught a lot of passes last season for us, but he did a lot of things you could never measure. From my perspective, he was a joy to play with. It was an honor, and I think he made our team better."

The Broncos are Rice's third team in two seasons. Last year, he had just five catches in six games with the Oakland Raiders before they traded him to Seattle. Rice finished 2004 with 30 receptions for 429 yards and three touchdowns, his worst season, except for 1997 when knee injuries limited him to two games.

In his final three games with Seattle, including the Seahawks' playoff loss to St. Louis, Rice was shut out.

In February, Seattle released Rice and he contemplated retirement. Earlier in the offseason, Rice approached the 49ers about returning to the franchise where he starred from 1985- 2000, but first-year 49ers coach Mike Nolan respectfully declined Rice's request. Earlier this month, Steiner faxed all 32 teams, apprising them of Rice's desire to play one more season.

Hasselbeck said Rice still has the passion to play the game.

"I would see Jerry - we all called him Mr. Rice - in his football cleats, running on the treadmill, 10 minutes before practice," he said. "Most of the other guys would get out on the field just in time for our 10 a.m. practice. They would be out there at 9:59. But Jerry was already working. And he worked after practice, too."

Shanahan and Rice forged a strong relationship during Shanahan's three years as the 49ers' offensive coordinator from 1992-94. In the 1994 season, Rice set a 49ers season record with 112 receptions and set an NFL record with his ninth consecutive 1,000-yard season. He also caught three touchdown passes in the 49ers' victory over San Diego in Super Bowl XXIX.

Shanahan has called Rice "arguably the best player to ever play the game." Yet the magic Rice and Shanahan created in San Francisco doesn't secure Rice a place on Denver's roster. Shanahan declined to talk to the media Wednesday, but last week he laid out the challenge facing Rice.

"There's no promises of him being the third receiver, the fourth receiver, the fifth receiver," Shanahan said. "I told Jerry that I don't know if he's lost a step or two steps, but you're going to come here for one reason and that's to compete with the other guys. And if you're one of our top five guys at the end of camp, then you're going to be on

JERRY RICE TIMELINE
Oct. 13, 1962
Born in Starkville, Miss. Grew up in Crawford, a small town about 20 miles from Starkville, as one of eight children. His father, Joe Nathen, was a bricklayer. Rice helped him in the summers.

1977-1980
Attended B.L. Moor High School in Crawford. Played basketball and ran track, but didn't play football until his sophomore year.

1981-84
Played football at Mississippi Valley State and was a Division II All-American. Had 4,693 yards in receptions and finished with 18 Division II records. Caught 112 passes for 1,845 yards and scored 28 touchdowns as a senior. MVP of the Blue-Gray all-star game.

April 30, 1985
San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh traded his first-, second- and third-round draft picks to New England in exchange for the Patriots' 16th pick of the first round and a third-round selection. With the 16th overall pick, Walsh drafted Rice.

1985 season
Overcoming early-season jitters, Rice set a 49ers record for rookies with 927 yards in receptions. His first TD catch came Oct. 6 at Atlanta from Joe Montana.

1986 season
Named Sports Illustrated player of the year with his NFL-leading 1,570 yards in receptions and 15 TD catches. Earned first Pro Bowl trip.

1987 season
Named league MVP, the first 49er to win the award since 1970. Set an NFL record with 22 touchdown catches and also set an NFL record by catching a TD pass in 13 consecutive games.

1988 season
Led the 49ers with 1,306 yards in receptions and set a team record with a 96-yard TD reception at San Diego.

Jan. 22, 1989
Named the Super Bowl XXIII MVP after setting a Super Bowl record with 215 yards on 11 receptions against Cincinnati. It was the first of Rice's three Super Bowl wins.

1989 season
Led the NFL with 1,483 yards in receptions and 17 TD catches. Set 49ers career records for total touchdowns (64) and receiving touchdowns (60).

Jan. 28, 1990
Won his second Super Bowl and caught a record three TD passes in San Francisco's 55-10 rout of the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.

1990 season
Led the NFL in catches (105) and receiving yards (1,502) and became the fourth player in NFL history to catch at least 100 in a season.

Oct. 14, 1990
Tied an NFL record with five touchdown catches in a game vs. Atlanta. In that game, he became the 49ers' career leader in receiving yards, passing Dwight Clark's 6,750.

1992 season
Set the NFL record for career receiving touchdowns (101), passing Steve Largent's 100. Led the 49ers in receiving yards (1,201), receptions (84) and touchdowns (11).

Oct. 4, 1992
Against the Rams, became the eighth player in NFL history to catch a pass in at least 100 consecutive games.

1994 season
Named a Pro Bowl starter for the ninth consecutive season. Set a team single-season record with 112 receptions and set an NFL record with his ninth consecutive 1,000-yard season. Set the NFL career record for touchdowns with 139, topping Jim Brown's 126.

Jan. 29, 1995
Caught three touchdown passes in the 49ers' win over the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

1995 season
Caught a career-high 122 passes, the second-highest total in NFL history. Set the NFL season record with 1,848 yards in receptions and scored 17 touchdowns (15 receiving) to raise his career total to 156 (146 receiving). Set the NFL record for most career 100-yard receiving games (59). Named a Pro Bowl starter for the 10th consecutive season and had his 10th straight 1,000-yard receiving season.

Oct. 29, 1995
Against New Orleans, set the NFL record for career receiving yards (14,040).

1996 season
Won his second NFL reception title with 108, worth 1,254 yards and eight touchdowns. Selected to his 11th consecutive Pro Bowl, tying Reggie White and Anthony Muñoz for the all-time record.

Nov. 13, 1996
At New Orleans, became the first NFL receiver in history to have 1,000 career catches.

1997 season
Injured his left knee, tearing his ACL, in the opener against Tampa Bay, but returned to play against the Broncos three months later. He caught three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown against Denver, but reinjured his knee and missed the rest of the season.

1998 season
Overcame two knee surgeries to register his 12th Pro Bowl season. Caught 82 passes for 1,157 yards and nine touchdowns.

Oct. 24, 1999
Against Minnesota, became the first player to have at least one catch in 200 consecutive games.

2000 season
In his final season with San Francisco, finished second on the team (behind Terrell Owens) with 75 receptions for 805 yards and seven touchdowns. Extended his NFL record to 225 consecutive games played with at least one catch.

2001 season
After signing with the Raiders, he started 15 games, making 83 catches for 1,139 yards. In a playoff game against the Jets, he tied an Oakland postseason record with nine catches, including a TD.

2002 season
Helped the Raiders reach Super Bowl XXXVII with 92 catches for 1,211 yards.

Nov. 11, 2002
Caught two passes against the Broncos, becoming the first player in NFL history to surpass the 200-touchdown mark for a career.

2004 season
Playing for Oakland and Seattle, had 30 receptions for 429 yards and three touchdowns - his lowest totals since missing most of the 1997 season with knee injuries.

Sept. 19, 2004
His consecutive games with at least one reception - which began during his rookie season in 1985 - ended at 274 games when he did not catch a pass against Buffalo.

Oct. 18, 2004
Traded to Seattle after playing six games with Oakland.

Feb. 25, 2005
Released by Seattle after catching 25 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns with the Seahawks in 11 regular-season games.

May 25, 2005
Agreed to a one-year contract with the Broncos.

PATRICK SAUNDERS

our football team. If you're not, I said I'd have one of the toughest jobs in the world."

Rice has 16 regular-season NFL records and was named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team. But the question facing Denver is how much he has left to give.

"You don't know," Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. "He's as well-rounded a receiver as there has ever been. But you state his age and that's a big issue. Forty-two years old and what can he do? What can he not do?"

Hasselbeck acknowledged Rice has lost speed, but said given the right situation Rice still can excel.

"He's got great hands, they're enormous, so you know he can catch the ball," Hasselbeck said. "And although Jerry's not that fast anymore, he can still run great routes. I saw guys fall down last year trying to cover him."

Most of all, Hasselbeck said, Rice will bring leadership and class to the Broncos.

"I didn't know quite what to expect when he came here," Hasselbeck said. "But there was no ego. He told us he was just there to help the team. The young guys who paid attention to Jerry learned a lot from him."
http://denverpost.com/broncos/ci_2761300

[BuckFoston]

I think that Jerry Rice needs to learn when to hang em' up. He is one of the greatest Wide Recievers ever to play the game of football. But he is just to old.

[Steak]

You know what? Good for Jerry. If he feels that he can still play and be productive for his team., he has my wishes. I hope he does well for the Broncos.

[Porter]

Seattle should had dumped Koren and kept Jerry. At least Jerry Catches the damn ball.

[Steak]

Wasn't Koren Robinson supposed to be the next elite receiver in the NFL? What the heck happened to him? I know he was suspended for using drugs.

[Porter]

His hands, drugs, you name it its happened.

[BuckFoston]

I like the guy, I want him to do good but I just don't think he is the Jerry Rice he used to be.

[RockSports17]

He's still capabale of being a great player. He's fit, and can still put up close if not a 1000 yrd season in the right situation. I think Rice could go for a couple more seasons, but this is his last and I think he'll do well.

Good for him.

[nyjunc]

He's still capabale of being a great player. He's fit, and can still put up close if not a 1000 yrd season in the right situation. I think Rice could go for a couple more seasons, but this is his last and I think he'll do well.

Good for him.

He's not capable of being great anymore but he is capable of being a good #3 or 4 WR which he will be.

[RockSports17]

Actually he is capable of being great. He may of lost a step, but he can still perform great. He's fit, motivated, has heart, still has skills. His last yr should be a great one.

[love_that_reefer]

I hate to see the best football player ever keep doing this. A Seahawk and now this? I didn't mind him as a Raider cause he helped them get to a Super Bowl and there is just something about the silver and black. Montana to Rice was the best combo ever and best to watch.

[RockSports17]

Ya they were. Even Young and Rice was a good combo.

I do admit that it was weird seeing Rice in a Seahawks uniform, and it's going to be weird seeing him in a Denver uniform.

I still think he has it no matter his age.

[HuskerFan2002]

Jerry Rice should retire whenever he wants....he's earned it.

However...teams have a right to tell him to buzz off. I wouldn't have him take up a roster spot. You can use that spot to develop a young and talented WR.

Just like the Micheal Jordan/Wizards ordeal. MJ took VALUABLE playing and development time from A LOT of young players. He did nothing but hurt the team.