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Julio Jones Retires: More Proof Jerry Rice’s NFL Records Look Unbeatable in 2025

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar07/04/2025 - 09:57 am
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Julio Jones (80) makes a touchdown reception in the first half during the game between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles on December 31, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.
(Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The NFL has seen another legend retire after wide receiver Julio Jones made it official the other day. Jones was one of the best to ever do it when he spent his first 10 seasons with the Falcons (2011-20) before some forgettable stints with the Titans (2021), Buccaneers (2022), and Eagles (2023).

Jones twice led the NFL in receiving yards, and his average of 82.5 receiving yards per game ranks third all time among players who played at least 80 games. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday with 2029 his first ballot of eligibility.  

But if we are just being honest, Jones was never the same after a hamstring injury limited his last quality season in 2020 to nine games. He played 31 more games after leaving Atlanta, and he only added 66 catches for 807 yards (26.0 yards per game) to his totals.

You could argue by the time he was 32, Jones was washed up, which is why we continue writing cautiously about players at a position like wide receiver once they get on the “wrong side” of 30 years old.

When you look at the players ahead of Jones in yards per game, Calvin Johnson retired after his age-30 season in Detroit, citing that much like legend Barry Sanders, getting your body ready for a team unlikely to win is a difficult thing to do.

Then for a much different situation, Antonio Brown’s last good season was 2018 when he was 30 before he lost his mind with the Raiders, Patriots, and Buccaneers to end his career in shame, literally running off the field during a game in 2021. He might still be playing if he wasn’t such a head case.

Interestingly enough, Michael Thomas is No. 4 at 79.1 yards per game, and he hasn’t played since his age-30 season in 2023 due to multiple injuries with the Saints that derailed his career.

Rounding out the top five is Tyreek Hill (78.7), who just turned 31 and has already talked about retirement, but his prolific off-field career of producing babies could lead to him playing several more years to ensure financial security.

All this to say that it’s been pretty fascinating to see that even in this era of better health and training options, the best wide receivers are struggling to stay productive in their 30s. Struggling more than the previous generation did when you look at players like Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, Isaac Bruce, Larry Fitzgerald, etc.

This is April, and receivers like Tyler Lockett and Keenan Allen remain unemployed going into their age-33 season. The Ravens signed DeAndre Hopkins (33 in June), but his role should be small, and he’s only averaged 56.8 yards per game since he turned 29 in 2021.

On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals made major NHL history when he scored his 895th goal to break Wayne Gretzky’s record. But that was about the only Gretzky record he could break, given he’s attempted over 1,750 more shots than Gretzky did. Ovechkin, like basically everyone else, will never be able to pass Gretzky in assists and total points – at least not in our lifetime.

Some of those records just look unbreakable, and between Julio’s retirement and Ovechkin taking down a Gretzky record, it had me thinking of just how unbeatable Jerry Rice’s records still look as we head into 2025.

Jerry Rice Wayne Gretzky

The Greatness of Jerry Rice

When it comes to individual stats that really stand the test of time and stand out in the history of sports, there are three names I often turn to: Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA, Wayne Gretzky in the NHL, and Jerry Rice in the NFL.

Watching what Nikola Jokic does today, it gives credence to Wilt’s stats being real, and we’re not just talking about the 100-point game in 1962 that no one seems to have video for. But if Chamberlain played against today’s athletes with modern stat-keeping, it’s hard to imagine he could post averages like 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game like he did in the 1961-62 season. He’d still be elite, but the game has changed a lot, especially with the value of big men and the rate of 3-point shots, which didn’t exist in Wilt’s career.

Likewise, Gretzky’s scoring numbers would be down if he played in this era with bulkier goalie pads and fewer goals per game scored. It’s pretty telling that Auston Matthews is the only player to score more than 65 goals in an NHL season after 1996.

But when it comes to Jerry Rice, you really start to see the argument from that not only is he the best wide receiver, he is the greatest NFL player of all time.

Rice played in 1985-2004, and since then, the NFL has only gotten more pass-happy with more passes thrown and yards gained each season, and they have moved to a 17-game season since 2021, with 18 probably on the way. Shorter, quicker passes have really boosted the stats for receivers, and it’s hard to say you see many great defenses in the NFL anymore with the rules largely favoring the offenses.

Yet, Rice still holds the record with 1,549 receptions as only Larry Fitzgerald (1,432) got within even 200 catches of him. The closest active players are Travis Kelce (1,004), DeAndre Hopkins (984), and Keenan Allen (974). We said Allen is unemployed, and if you watched Super Bowl 59’s blowout loss for the Chiefs, Kelce and Hopkins look like they’re on their last legs going into the 2025 season. They literally might be with expectations that this will be Kelce’s last year.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 5: Travis Kelce of Kansas City Chiefs looks on ahead of the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 5, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
(Photo by Ralf Ibing – firo sportphoto/Getty Images)

Rice’s numbers remain incredible even with all the passing explosion we’ve seen around the league. In his first decade in the NFL, he led the league in receiving yards and touchdown catches six times each.

Keep in mind he was 23 as a rookie, so it’s common for players to be on pace to surpass Rice based on production at a certain age because the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson were 21 years old as rookies.

But when it comes to actually finishing the job, no one comes close. That’s because for as great as Rice was in his prime (ages 23-34), he is by far the best “old man” receiver in NFL history:

  • In his age-36 season in 1998, Rice had 82 catches for 1,157 yards and 9 touchdowns.
  • The only other player in NFL history to have over 1,100 yards at age 36 or older is Jerry Rice, who did it at the ages of 39 (1,139) and 40 (1,211).
  • Rice has 6,440 receiving yards at age 36+, doubling up the next closest player, Charlie Joiner (3,125), and more than tripling the No. 3 player, Terrell Owens (1,812).

But if this current trend holds of receivers calling it quits before 36, then Rice still stands out incredibly well:

  • Rice had a then-record 1,848 yards at age 33 in the 1995 season.
  • The only players to ever surpass that season in yards are Calvin Johnson (1,964 at age 26), Cooper Kupp (1,947 at age 28), and Julio Jones (1,871 at age 26).
  • Since that Rice season in 1995, the most receiving yards by another player at age 33+ is 1,366 yards by a 34-year-old Marvin Harrison on the 2006 Colts.
  • Since 2014, Travis Kelce, a tight end, is the only player to break 1,200 receiving yards at age 33+ when he had 1,338 yards in 2022 at age 33.
  • In the 2020s, Kelce is the only player to break 1,100 yards at age 32+, doing so in 2021 (1,125) and 2022 (1,338).

It’s not good that a tight end is the best old receiver in the game today. The most productive “old wide receiver” in the NFL right now is Davante Adams, who had 1,063 yards in 2024 in 14 games for the Raiders and Jets in a turbulent season. He’s with the Rams in 2025, and we know Matthew Stafford can force his guys the ball, but Adams will have to share the ball with Puka Nacua, who is off to his own incredible start.

In fact, Nacua’s 184 receptions through 28 career games is No. 2 in NFL history behind Odell Beckham Jr. (191), another player derailed by injuries. That’s 70 catches ahead of Rice’s 28-game pace, but at least 97 players had more catches than Rice through 28 games, and we know how that played out in the end.

You might get a leg up on Rice early on in your 20s, but good luck chasing him after your 35th birthday and matching all that production.

We didn’t even mention the touchdown catches, which Rice had 197, 41 more than No. 2 Randy Moss (156). Mike Evans (105) and Davante Adams (103) are the closest active players, and they’d almost have to double their totals to beat Rice, which isn’t happening. Hopkins (83), Hill (82), and Kelce (77) are all more than 100 touchdowns behind Rice with the sands of time running out.

If someone is going to break Rice’s records, it’s probably a kid who went to the Minecraft movie this weekend instead of anyone currently playing, including Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.

And if one major Rice record falls, it’ll be the receptions (1,549) before it’s ever the yards (22,895) or touchdown catches (197). But good luck at getting any of them, because even if you’re a “Slant Boy” like they used to call Michael Thomas, you still have to stay very healthy for the better part of two decades to pull it off.

Will More Money Lead to Shorter or Longer Careers for Wide Receivers?

We recently looked at the rising cost of NFL wide receivers after the Bengals made Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins the most expensive duo in NFL history. Chase is the league’s first $40M/year wide receiver, and that number might even look like a bargain in a few years with the rate of inflation.

Wide receiver has essentially become the second-most expensive position in the NFL after quarterback, and that can be troubling since the two positions go hand in hand. Ideally, you’d trust your $60M quarterback so much that he can simply make his receivers better by being accurate and finding them consistently, lessening the need to pay that part of the roster so much money too.

But setting that team-building discussion aside, it’s also a good debate on whether or not more money will lead to shorter or longer careers for this position, which is known as the “diva” position in the NFL for good reason. Some of the more “eccentric” players in NFL history have played wide receiver, to say the least.

Rice was extremely competitive and set out early in his career to be the all-time leading receiver in NFL history. He loved the game so much he played into his 40s, and he even tried to keep playing in the 2005 season before finally retiring. I’m not sure if that drive is still present in today’s athletes, as you basically have to be a psychopath for football to get on that Rice or Tom Brady longevity plan.

San Diego - Nov 1988: QB # 16 Joe Montana, WR # 80 Jerry Rice, C # 51 Randy Cross conversing on the sidelines. San Francisco 49ers 48 vs San Diego Chargers 10 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California.
(Photo By Rick Doyle / Getty Images)

Again, we’ve seen Calvin Johnson call it quits early, and that’s also happened at other positions like linebacker when you look at Patrick Willis and Luke Kuechly. Even someone who just retired this offseason, like Dallas guard Zack Martin, you could argue 11 seasons is a little on the short side for his career.

But if players are making more money than ever before, then that could push them into an earlier retirement instead of continuing the risk to play a game that has been proven to be linked to CTE, a brain disease which is still being studied for the long-term effects it’ll have on these players.

While rookie contracts are lesser now under the CBA, that second contract could be a huge one for the best receivers. Even a No. 2 receiver in a good situation can earn close to $30M per year now, and that is expected to increase with inflation too.

Play out those first two contracts, then either sign on for a third or go to a different team for one last big payday, and you could realistically be in your early 30s with over $200 million made in salary (excluding any potential endorsement deals that come with playing a popular position like wide receiver).

Most players (hopefully) aren’t going to lose their minds like Antonio Brown or be in Tyreek Hill’s situation where they have to fear potential child support payments. But even Hill is a risk for a long career, as speed guys usually don’t last that long. DeSean Jackson played until he was 36, but he basically stopped being productive after his age-32 season, which seems to be a real cliff point for receivers these days.

Julio Jones was an all-time great receiver, but if a hamstring injury can render him essentially useless before his 32nd birthday, then no one is really safe against Father Time.

Not like Jerry Rice was for so long.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Julio Jones (80) makes a touchdown reception in the first half during the game between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles on December 31, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.
(Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar07/04/2025 - 09:57 am