"From the moment he entered the league, Justin Jefferson has hovered near the top of the NFL's historical curve. He is the only player to surpass 3,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons. Then he was the fastest or tied for the fastest to surpass milestones at 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 yards. And he was the youngest player ever to reach 7,000 yards."
"Jerry Rice -- the first NFL player who earned the now-ubiquitous GOAT nickname after a career that spanned three decades from 1985 to 2004 -- set a standard that has weathered the NFL's transition into a passing-dominated league. Rice's record of 22,895 career receiving yards would require Jefferson to continue producing at his current levels until he is 35, according to ESPN Research. The same unlikely scenarios exist for Rice's record of 197 touchdowns and 1,549 receptions."
Justin Jefferson has produced extraordinary early-career receiving numbers, recording 529 receptions for 7,960 yards and 41 touchdowns entering the Thursday game in Los Angeles. He is the only player to top 3,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, reached 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 yards faster than or tied with any peer, and became the youngest player to reach 7,000 yards. Jerry Rice's career totals—22,895 receiving yards, 197 touchdowns and 1,549 receptions—remain far beyond reach. Matching those marks would require sustained elite production into the mid-30s for many additional seasons, a scenario demonstrated as highly unlikely by comparisons to other receivers.
Read at ESPN.com
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