Despite playing only 12 games in 1987 due to an NFL players strike, Rice still managed to gain 1,078 receiving yards and an NFL-record 22 touchdown receptions which stood until 2007 when it was broken by Randy Moss (who caught 23 touchdowns in 16 games). In 1987, the runner-up to Rice in touchdown receptions was Philadelphia Eagles receiver Mike Quick with 11--marking the first time in post-NFL-AFL merger history that a category leader doubled the total of his nearest competitor.

On October 14, 1990, Joe Montana passed for 476 yards and six touchdowns--both highs for his career--and Jerry Rice tied an NFL record with five scoring receptions as the San Francisco 49ers outscored the Atlanta Falcons, 45-35.

Super Bowl XXIII was arguably Jerry Rice's finest moment. He caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 5 yards, helping the 49ers to a narrow 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. His receptions and receiving yards were both Super Bowl records, and he became the third wide receiver to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

He tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee on a reverse. Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed Rice by the face-mask and wrenched him to the ground, drawing a 15-yard personal foul. The injury broke Rice's streak of 189 consecutive games played. Fourteen weeks later, he made his return much earlier than doctors advised. He scored a touchdown, but when he came down with the catch, he cracked the patella in his left kneecap and was forced to miss the Pro Bowl for the first time in 11 years.

With the emergence of Terrell Owens in San Francisco, and because of ownership's desire to rebuild the team and clear salary space, Rice left the 49ers and signed with the Oakland Raiders following the conclusion of the 2000 season. He joined a Raiders team coming off a loss in the AFC playoffs, to form one of the oldest receiver duos with Tim Brown.

Six games into the 2004 season, Rice was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, where he was reunited with Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren, who had previously served as San Francisco's offensive coordinator. Rice was traded before Oakland's bye week and after Seattle's, so he played 6 games for the Raiders and 11 for the Seahawks--giving him 17 games in a 16-game season.

At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Rice signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos, but he never played a down for them. After realizing he would be no better than the fourth receiver on the team, the greatest receiver of all time called it quits after 20 sensational seasons.

During a career spanning two decades, Rice averaged 75.6 receiving yards per game.

He attempted 10 passes during his career, with three completions, one interception, and one touchdown, for a career passer rating of 50.4.

He scored more points than any other non-kicker in NFL history with 1,256.