Coincidentally, all three wideouts were on the same team for a few years
Despite the last 25 years being a dark period for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, the franchise has had several quality wide receivers during that timeframe.
In addition to Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and Jerry Porter, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Hunter Renfrow all had strong cases to be listed as nominees for the No. 1 wide receiver on the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team. However, it’s hard to go against three wideouts who rank in the top 15 for the most receiving yards in franchise history, despite all three playing on the same team from 2001 to 2003.
For clarity, we’ll be doing two wide receiver polls, where the two losers will here be included in the No. 2 wide receiver poll. However, since we included a fullback, there will only be two wide receiver spots to keep the offense to 11 players. Also, there might be a couple of positions between the receiver polls to allow enough time to collect votes.
Tim Brown
James D. Smith-Imagn Images
Raiders Stats (2000-2003): 300 catches, 3,790 yards, 24 TDs (4 seasons, 64 games)
Accolades (2000-2003): Pro Bowl (2001)
For clarity, Brown is the franchise leader in every major statistical category among Raiders receivers, racking up 1,070 catches, 14,734 yards and 99 touchdowns during his 16 seasons. However, we’re focusing on what each player has done in the last quarter century. But even if we just took his production since 2000, he’d rank sixth in receptions, ninth in yards and tied for 15th in touchdowns all-time. Mr. Raider was also a key fixture in Oakland’s offense during the team’s three consecutive playoff runs from 2000 to 2002.
Jerry Rice
Photo by David Madison/Getty Images
Raiders Stats: 243 catches, 3,286 yards, 18 TDs (4 seasons, 54 games)
Accolades: Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro (2002)
While he gained more notoriety for his work across the Bay, Rice’s tenure with the Raiders in the early 2000s was also impressive. At 39 and 40 years old, he still managed to have consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns and ranks 14th in franchise history for receiving yards despite playing just three and a half seasons with the club. The G.O.A.T. receiver also had postseason success in Oakland, adding another 27 catches, 434 yards and three touchdowns in five playoff games to his silver and black stat line.
Jerry Porter
Photo by Robert B. Stanton/NFLPhotoLibrary
Raiders Stats: 284 catches, 3,939 yards, 30 TDs (8 seasons, 105 games)
Accolades: none
The 2000 second-round pick spent the majority of his first few seasons in the NFL as the third receiver behind the two wideouts above, leading to a slow start to begin his career. But Porter proved to be an excellent third wideout and complement to the Hall of Famers in 2002, racking up nearly 700 yards and nine touchdowns. He also led the league with 237 yards and three touchdowns during the postseason that year. Then, when Brown and Rice left, Porter became the top target and flirted with 1,000-yard campaigns in ‘04 and ‘05, notching 998 and 942 yards, respectively.
So, which wide receiver are you going with for the WR1 spot on the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team?
Vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments section with your reasoning. If you don’t have a commenting account already, you’ll need to create one but the steps are pretty easy and it’s a seamless process. Also, we have full-time moderators to enforce the Community Guidelines. Sign up and go to the comments section.