Living legend Rice would like to play next season

[Big Country]

Posted: Monday May 16, 2005 10:48AM; Updated: Monday May 16, 2005 2:26PM

Jerry Rice caught 30 balls for 429 yards and three TDs for the Raiders and Seahawks last season.


MAILBAG

Peter King - Monday Morning Quarterback:

The following one-page fax sent to the 32 National Football League teams by SFX Football and noted agent Jim Steiner came across my desk the other day:

To: All NFL Clubs
From: Jim Steiner
Subject: The GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), Jerry Rice
Jerry would like to make 2005 his last year in the NFL. Any takers?? Please call if you think there might be a fit!''

The fax left me conflicted. On one hand, it seemed like the ultimate hat-in-hand begging job -- the same kind of fax an agent might send to teams to get a look-see for an undrafted free agent from Saginaw Valley State. On the other hand, I'm very much in favor of someone playing as long as he wants and as long as there's a team out there willing to give him a uniform. I don't like it when the media gets into the business of telling a guy he should retire because he's either too old or he's embarrassing himself. Let the player determine when he wants to quit.

So I called Steiner last night to get the state of the 42-year-old Rice, and to see if he's had any luck with his fishing expedition-by-fax.

"Jerry didn't ask me to do it,'' Steiner said from his home in St. Louis. "I'd never think about doing it, except in this case, where I know Jerry would like to play. I did it to put the clubs on notice that, under the right circumstances, Jerry would like to play this year. I did it to create awareness, for now and in the near future, that he's still thinking about playing.

"Emotionally and physically, he wants to play this year. He feels good. It's that time of year to get ready to play and he's working hard. His reservation right now is that he'd have to put on a different uniform, which he is a bit twisted about. But his desire to play may drown that reservation.''

Steiner has had discussions with two teams this offseason. (Three, if you count the fairly ugly pas-de-tout with the 49ers, in which San Francisco basically said it had no interest in Rice as a player or front-office man right now.) Steiner said he has broken off talks with the first, a team that would have allowed Rice to come in and earn the third or fourth receiver's job and catch 40 or 50 balls if everything went right. It didn't feel like the right fit. Steiner said he is early in talks with the other team, which he said wants Rice for his leadership and work-ethic lessons, as well as for whatever he could contribute on the field. He wouldn't name either of the teams. "We'll investigate this other option,'' said Steiner, "and see if there's anything there.''

Last week, Steiner golfed with Rice. He told him: "You're never going to want to retire. You're always going to want to play.'' Rice, Steiner said, just listened. But that's obviously the case. Jerry Rice does not want a soul telling him to leave football. There's an old saying in the NFL when it comes to free agents: It only takes one team. As in if one team offers you a contract, that's enough to get you back in the league. And I'd say it's 50-50 that Rice will find that team, either the one Steiner is talking to right now or another. Then he's going to have to decide if he wants to keep playing. To me, it's a slam-dunk answer: If he gets an offer that isn't a slap in the face, he'll return for his 21st season.

I'll say this about Rice: Even though he caught only 25 passes for Seattle last fall (along with five catches with Oakland), he had his highest yards-per-catch average (14.3 yards) since 1995. So his legs haven't fallen off. The three teams I think he'd be a good fit on -- if he could make it out of training camp healthy -- are Atlanta, Baltimore and the New York Giants. He could help steer Mike Vick right, be a good mentor-type for young Ravens wideouts or show Plaxico Burress how to work while giving the Giants the kind of trusty backup receiver they're searching for.

I asked Steiner how Rice sees himself as a player right now.

"He thinks if he was 31, he'd be in the league and have a good job,'' Steiner said. "But because he's 42, he feels like, 'Nobody wants me.' It's an age thing.''

And I asked how Rice would feel if forced to take his ball and go home.

"There probably would some disappointment,'' Steiner said. "But it wouldn't be overwhelming for him.''

[Billy Bullocks]

just not with us...

[JackMagist]

Jerry Rice was a great receiver. He needs to come to grips with the fact that everyone gets old and he is no exception. Time to hang up the cleats and ride off into the sunset while he still has some dignity.

[k19]

I wish Jerry would call it quits. Maybe its just me but he's ruining the memories by hanging around looking old, slow and over the hill

[Alexander]

Originally Posted by k19

I wish Jerry would call it quits. Maybe its just me but he's ruining the memories by hanging around looking old, slow and over the hill

I am not so sure.

He sure was impressive in the Seahawk Monday Night game against Terrence Newman and company.

[Eddie]

Heck, if an NFL team is willing to give him a shot, why not?

Though, I doubt any team will be willing to sacrifice a roster spot for a 43 year old player in lieu of a young, developing guy.

Good luck to him.

[Hoov]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Heck, if an NFL team is willing to give him a shot, why not?

Though, I doubt any team will be willing to sacrifice a roster spot for a 43 year old player in lieu of a young, developing guy.

Good luck to him.

that is the problem.

[Waffle]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Heck, if an NFL team is willing to give him a shot, why not?

Though, I doubt any team will be willing to sacrifice a roster spot for a 43 year old player in lieu of a young, developing guy.

Good luck to him.

Maybe Jerry could petition the NFL to create a rule that states only he, Jerry Rice, is exempt from counting against a club's roster total.

He whined to the Raiders last year and eventually got his trade. Then he made some noise and subsequentially had a Hall of Famer's jersey "unretired" in Seattle.

So why would lobbying for a rule change to benefit him be so far-fetched?

[Idgit]

Originally Posted by Alexander

I am not so sure.

He sure was impressive in the Seahawk Monday Night game against Terrence Newman and company.

Yes, one of the most impressive shoves I've seen in some time.

[ravidubey]

Originally Posted by aardvark

"He thinks if he was 31, he'd be in the league and have a good job,'' Steiner said. "But because he's 42, he feels like, 'Nobody wants me.' It's an age thing.''

Um, ya' think?

I'd take him in a second, any year, any condition. If this guy can still even walk, I'd sign him. In no time he'd muscle his way into the 3rd WR position and make an immediate impact. Seattle's biggest mistake last year was not throwing to him on the last couple of plays in that playoff game.

This guy is so good it defies logic.

[Chief]

Maybe the Eagles will bring him in if/when Owens holds out.

That should help team chemistry.

[Alexander]

Originally Posted by Chief

Maybe the Eagles will bring him in if/when Owens holds out.

That should help team chemistry.

Jerry could sure refer the whole team to a great place they can get the best "deep-tissue" massage.

[Waffle]

Originally Posted by Alexander

Jerry could sure refer the whole team to a great place they can get the best "deep-tissue" massage.

I may be one of the only people here that "gets" this!!

[Idgit]

Originally Posted by Waffle

I may be one of the only people here that "gets" this!!

Really? Where do you get it, and is it expensive?

[Waffle]

Originally Posted by Idgit

Really? Where do you get it, and is it expensive?

Not me personally, Idgit.

You'd have to ask Jerry "Best Ever" Rice himself for the answers to your questions.

You might read this for more insight to Alexander's original post.

http://www.49erhaters.com/massage.html