Nearly 30 years after the 49ers made receiver Jerry Rice a first-round pick, a wideout who bears his name and DNA will get his NFL career started on the other side of the country.
Via Rich Tandler of CSN Washington, Jerry Rice Jr. has announced on his Instagram account that he has signed a contract with Washington, sharing a photo of the document. The team has not yet announced the move.
The younger Rice participated in 49ers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, by his father’s team didn’t sign him. Previously, the Ravens also invited Rice Jr. to participate in rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Coach John Harbaugh was impressed, but not sufficiently impressed to sign him.
As Tandler points out, Washington currently has 90 players on the roster. Adding Rice Jr. will require the team to make a move.
It’ll be interesting to see if Rice wears his dad’s number; 80 currently is available in Washington. During his tryout with the 49ers, Rice Jr. opted not to wear his Jerry’s retired jersey, opting instead to pay homage to, um, Renaldo Nehemiah?