Jerry Rice's unbreakable records: Why even Justin Jefferson has nearly no shot

From the infinitesimal helium entered the league, Justin Jefferson has hovered adjacent the apical of the NFL's humanities curve. He is the lone subordinate to surpass 3,000 receiving yards successful his archetypal 2 seasons. Then helium was the fastest oregon tied for the fastest to surpass milestones astatine 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 yards. And helium was the youngest subordinate ever to scope 7,000 yards.

Yet arsenic helium continues on a Hall of Fame path, with 529 vocation receptions for 7,960 yards and 41 touchdowns entering the Minnesota Vikings' crippled Thursday nighttime astatine the Los Angeles Chargers (8:15 p.m. Prime Video), helium has astir nary accidental of breaking immoderate of the NFL's vocation receiving records.

Jefferson is lone 26 and is presently connected a blistery streak, averaging 109.3 receiving yards per crippled since Week 4. But similar galore earlier him, Jefferson is up against arguably the astir unbreakable records successful pro football.

Jerry Rice -- the archetypal NFL subordinate who earned the now-ubiquitous GOAT nickname aft a vocation that spanned 3 decades from 1985 to 2004 -- acceptable a modular that has weathered the NFL's modulation into a passing-dominated league.

Rice's grounds of 22,895 vocation receiving yards would necessitate Jefferson to proceed producing astatine his existent levels until helium is 35, according to ESPN Research. The aforesaid improbable scenarios beryllium for Rice's grounds of 197 touchdowns and 1,549 receptions.

At property 25, for instance, Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase would person to support his existent touchdown complaint of 0.74 per crippled for 12 much seasons to scope it. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald retired astatine 37 aft 17 seasons and ranks 2nd successful receptions, 127 abbreviated of Rice, and determination isn't an progressive subordinate wrong 500 catches of Rice's record.

"I've watched truthful overmuch astir him connected video and it's conscionable brainsick what helium did," Jefferson told ESPN. "It's brainsick due to the fact that truthful overmuch was antithetic backmost past from now. It's truthful overmuch much precocious now. The throwing crippled has upgraded truthful much. So the information that helium had 22,000 successful those times is unreal.

"What if helium had much passing? What would helium person if helium was successful this benignant of strategy [in Minnesota]? What benignant of numbers would helium have? So it's decidedly pugnacious to truly deliberation astir breaking them. That's wherefore he's ever going to person the statement for being the GOAT. To person 22,000 yards, it's unreal."

Rice retired successful 2005 earlier astir of today's players were retired of simple schoolhouse and the league expanded the play from 16 to 17 games (2021). He did not respond to aggregate interrogation requests implicit the past year, but during that period, ESPN has spoken to galore of the NFL's apical young walk catchers, players whose careers person started beardown capable to merit theoretical treatment astir NFL records.

Most of them laughed astatine the thought of producing 1,000-yard seasons successful their precocious 30s, arsenic Rice did repeatedly. After Rice turned 30, helium had 4 consecutive double-digit touchdown seasons and had astatine slightest 63 receptions successful 8 seasons, including 2 aft helium was 40. Rice was 42 successful his last season, which helium played with the Seattle Seahawks.

"Crazy," Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey said. "I mean, I deliberation astir my dad. He's successful his precocious 40s, and that's similar seeing my dada retired determination playing. I don't cognize astir that."

"Wild," the Jacksonville Jag...