Johnson, of course, is coming off a season in which he shattered Rice’s record for yards in a season with 1,964 yards, 116 more than Rice had in 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers.
Rice, still as humble as he was when he entered the league, and he told Tom Pelissero of USA Today that Megatron has some work to do if he wants to be considered the GOAT.
“I think it’s great that they’re still talking about me after my career’s over. (Johnson) still has a ways to go,” Rice said.
“We’re just going to let this guy continue to develop, and if he should break the majority of my records or break all my records, I’ll be the first one to congratulate him. But I know the sacrifice that you have to put into it. It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work.”
The 51-year-old Rice is the league’s all-time career leader in catches (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and receiving touchdowns (197).
“I think (Johnson) has gotten so much better route running, and he doesn’t just rely on his jumping ability anymore,” Rice said. “That’s why he’s called Megatron, man. He’s a hell of a lot (to handle) on that football field. Right now he’s had about (63) touchdowns and he’s going strong. I wish him the best. I know what type of work ethic he has. He’s a complete player.”
Johnson is on a pretty good price to reach Rice's numbers if he can remain consistent, and stay in the league for a pretty long time as Rice did. After that, we can determine if CJ81 has reached the status of being the GOAT.
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By Glenn Erby
