One more shot

Living legend Rice would like to play next season


The following one-page fax sent to the 32 National Football League teams by SFX Football and noted agent Jim Steiner came across my desk the other day:

To: All NFL Clubs
From: Jim Steiner
Subject: The GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), Jerry Rice
Jerry would like to make 2005 his last year in the NFL. Any takers?? Please call if you think there might be a fit!''

The fax left me conflicted. On one hand, it seemed like the ultimate hat-in-hand begging job -- the same kind of fax an agent might send to teams to get a look-see for an undrafted free agent from Saginaw Valley State. On the other hand, I'm very much in favor of someone playing as long as he wants and as long as there's a team out there willing to give him a uniform. I don't like it when the media gets into the business of telling a guy he should retire because he's either too old or he's embarrassing himself. Let the player determine when he wants to quit.

So I called Steiner last night to get the state of the 42-year-old Rice, and to see if he's had any luck with his fishing expedition-by-fax.

"Jerry didn't ask me to do it,'' Steiner said from his home in St. Louis. "I'd never think about doing it, except in this case, where I know Jerry would like to play. I did it to put the clubs on notice that, under the right circumstances, Jerry would like to play this year. I did it to create awareness, for now and in the near future, that he's still thinking about playing.

"Emotionally and physically, he wants to play this year. He feels good. It's that time of year to get ready to play and he's working hard. His reservation right now is that he'd have to put on a different uniform, which he is a bit twisted about. But his desire to play may drown that reservation.''


Jerry Rice caught 30 balls for 429 yards and three TDs for the Raiders and Seahawks last season.

Steiner has had discussions with two teams this offseason. (Three, if you count the fairly ugly pas-de-tout with the 49ers, in which San Francisco basically said it had no interest in Rice as a player or front-office man right now.) Steiner said he has broken off talks with the first, a team that would have allowed Rice to come in and earn the third or fourth receiver's job and catch 40 or 50 balls if everything went right. It didn't feel like the right fit. Steiner said he is early in talks with the other team, which he said wants Rice for his leadership and work-ethic lessons, as well as for whatever he could contribute on the field. He wouldn't name either of the teams. "We'll investigate this other option,'' said Steiner, "and see if there's anything there.''

Last week, Steiner golfed with Rice. He told him: "You're never going to want to retire. You're always going to want to play.'' Rice, Steiner said, just listened. But that's obviously the case. Jerry Rice does not want a soul telling him to leave football. There's an old saying in the NFL when it comes to free agents: It only takes one team. As in if one team offers you a contract, that's enough to get you back in the league. And I'd say it's 50-50 that Rice will find that team, either the one Steiner is talking to right now or another. Then he's going to have to decide if he wants to keep playing. To me, it's a slam-dunk answer: If he gets an offer that isn't a slap in the face, he'll return for his 21st season.

...More...

Peter King / SI.com

Posted: Monday May 16, 2005 10:48AM; Updated: Monday May 16, 2005 2:26PM

On the other hand, I'm very much in favor of someone playing as long as he wants and as long as there's a team out there willing to give him a uniform. I don't like it when the media gets into the business of telling a guy he should retire because he's either too old or he's embarrassing himself. Let the player determine when he wants to quit.

Broncos | Looking to Sign Rice? - from www.KFFL.com
Wed, 18 May 2005 16:35:07 -0700

Adam Schefter, reports for NFL.com, the Denver Broncos are strongly considering signing free agent WR Jerry Rice (Seahawks). Rice and Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan were scheduled to talk at some point in the past 24 hours. Shanahan also had preliminary talks this weekend with Rice's agent, Jim Steiner. The Broncos see Rice as another mentor to their young wide receivers.

Rice, Shanahan discuss reunion in Denver


Associated Press /Via ESPN.com
Updated: May 19, 2005, 6:41 PM ET


DENVER -- Jerry Rice has talked with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan about the possibility of playing in Denver next season, his agent said.

"They had an excellent conversation," agent Jim Steiner told the Associated Press on Thursday. "But they haven't taken it to the next level."

Shanahan coached Rice when he was offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers from 1992-94. Rice played for the Seahawks and Raiders last season. Steiner recently sent a league-wide e-mail saying the "GOAT" -- Greatest Of All Time -- was available and wanted to play next season.

The possibility of Rice playing for the Broncos, first reported by NFL.com, would allow the NFL leader in career catches, receiving yards and touchdowns to add to his totals, most likely as a backup in the Denver system.

Steiner said the 42-year-old receiver is willing to be a role player. The Broncos are still in search of depth at their receiver position.

The agent said there was no time pressure to get anything done with the Broncos, but if a deal was going to be reached, he thinks it will be "forthcoming soon."

No he shouldnt retire... He definately doesnt have any good years left in him, but I think he should play about 2 more years to tutor some recievers and get about 20-25 catches in a year....

...and begin looking for alternative ways of staying around the sport. From all the interviews I have seen, he has struck me as intelligent, and I believe a future in coaching could be a possibility. There he could work mainly on tutoring younger players and pass on his knowledge, and if that doesnt work you know one of the networks would gladly take him as an analyst.

Saturday, May 21, 2005
By John Marshall / Associated Press

Broncos talking with Rice


DENVER -- Jerry Rice could be headed to Denver and a reunion with coach Mike Shanahan.

Rice spoke with Shanahan on Thursday and the coach said there's a possibility a deal to bring the NFL's all-time leader in catches, yards and touchdowns to Denver could be done as early as next week.

"I think Jerry would like to play here, but there's always parameters that you have to work out in a contract, there's always decisions he has to make from a family perspective," Shanahan said Friday. "I'd like to talk about this Wednesday or Thursday of next week when there's hopefully a deal done. I'm just trying to be as honest as I can that there's not a deal done, but I do think that there's a chance Jerry Rice could be with the Denver Broncos."

If it does happen, don't expect Shanahan to go easy on his former player.

Shanahan was Rice's offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers from 1992-94 and called him "arguably the best player to ever play the game." But Shanahan said he's not about to give any guarantees about playing time, especially to a veteran player.

"There's no promises of him being the third receiver, the fourth receiver, the fifth receiver," Shanahan said. "I told Jerry that I don't know if he's lost a step or two steps, but you're going to come here for one reason and that's to compete with the other guys. And if you're one of our top-5 guys at the end of camp, then you're going to be on our football team. If you're not, I said I'd have one of the toughest jobs in the world."

Playing time has been an issue for Rice in the past. One of the reasons he left Oakland was that he thought he wasn't being used enough and it was why Seattle was one of the few teams willing to sign the 42-year-old.

Now Rice is just looking for an opportunity, which would mean competing with Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie and Darius Watts if he ends up in Denver.

"We're not just bringing him in here because he's a leader and he knows the game," Shanahan said. "I'm bringing him in here because I think there's a legitimate chance for him to help our football team to win. He knows that there's no promises and that he expects it no other way."