Jerry Rice and Randy Moss have had some back and forth recently about who is the best wide receiver of all time and such arguments are often entertaining.
They’re also subjective, which is not the case for statistics. We know, for example, that Rice had 927 receiving yards as a 49ers rookie and that no other rookie in franchise history has topped that number.
First-round pick Brandon Aiyuk heads into the last two weeks with an outside shot of becoming the new No. 1 on that list. He has 733 receiving yards and thinks it would be a meaningful accomplishment to set the record even if it isn’t the first thing on his mind.
“Going into a game, my mindset is that I’m going to have 200 yards, and then go from there,” Aiyuk said, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “The mindset is not to worry about that record, but to go have the perfect game, which I’ve yet to do. If at the end of the season I look up and the record is broken, that would be pretty exciting, but we have two games left and that’s the main focus right now.”
Based on his per-game averages, Aiyuk would be on pace to break Rice’s record and Earl Cooper’s record for catches by a rookie. He missed three games due to injury and COVID-19, however, and that may leave him with nothing other than a very promising start to his NFL career once Week 17 comes to an end.