It happens to the best, even to the greatest of all time.
No, it wasn’t an AI video. Jerry Rice did indeed drop a pass before the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason finale over the weekend.
Rice was playfully running a route in warmups when he saw a ball go right off of his hands. He punched the air and yelled at himself for dropping the ball.
Even at the ripe age of 62, Rice could catch balls in his sleep, yet he let this one get away.
The video went viral as did the following stat that accompanied it, which left fans in utter disbelief.
In Rice’s 20-year career, the wide receiver had only 27 dropped passes. Think about that for a moment.
Rice owns almost every single record there is when it comes to catching the ball. He is first in receptions (1,549), yards (22,895) and touchdowns (197). Yet, he only saw 27 balls go through his hands.
What may just be even crazier is how far ahead he is than any other receiver in NFL history. He sits alone at the top by a pretty wide margin.
Next closest to him in receptions and yards is Larry Fitzgerald. Yet, the former Arizona Cardinals legend trails Rice by over 100 receptions and more than 5,000 yards. Randy Moss is second in receiving touchdowns, 41 behind Rice.
Rice is incomparable.
And while drops weren’t an officially recorded stat during Rice’s playing time, those who have watched the film and put on Rice’s tape credit him with 27 drops, give or take.
“27 dropped passes in 20 years is the most f***** ridiculous stat I have ever heard,” one fan wrote on X.
“Only 27 drops is unheard of,” another fan commented.
“To put into perspective how wild that is. Rice averaged 1.35 drops a season,” one more added.
Rice played for the 49ers for 16 seasons, where he won three Super Bowls and was Super Bowl MVP of Super XXIII, helping San Francisco defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16.
In that game Rice had 11 receptions for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a touchdown.
He then spent 3.5 seasons as a member of the Oakland Raiders, and finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks for 11 games.
Overall, Rice was a 13-time Pro Bowler, 10-time All-Pro and won Offensive Player of the Year twice.
NFL's Greatest......
Ranking the top 10......
Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?
Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?
Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more
Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?
Sure, he had Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing him the ball for the majority of his career, but one could also look at it as Montana and Young having Rice to throw to for their careers that made them special.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but there’s no denying Rice’s greatness.
Before Tom Brady wrapped up his career, many called Rice the greatest football player ever. Period. Forget just wide receiver. Many still give Rice that title.
Don’t let the younger generation forget just how dominant Rice was. All you have to do is show the number 27. Okay fine, after this past weekend, it’s now 28.