When it comes to ranking wide receivers, there is no debating that Jerry Rice is the greatest that ever played the game. He is the record holder for most receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in a career. After Rice, however, the argument can begin with active players such as Marvin Harrison or Randy Moss and Hall of Famers like Art Monk or Lynn Swann. This year, the NFL selected five players (six people in total) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but there was one glaring admission: Cris Carter.
Carter Solidifies His Case For Greatness
Cris Carter is the definition of steady. Often praised for having one of the best sets of hands in the league, Carter consistently was the main receiver of the Minnesota Vikings offense through the ‘90’s. For an unprecedented eight straight seasons (1993-200) Carter started all 16 games and tallied over 1,000 receiving yards in each. In seven seasons, Carter caught more than 80 passes, including back-to-back 122 reception seasons.
Cris Carter led the NFL in touchdowns on three separate occasions. He was named to eight straight Pro Bowls and was selected for the Associated Press First-Team All Pro twice. Carter’s overall numbers are truly astounding, where the longevity of his career is dwarfed only by the staggering single season statistics he recorded. In each of the three aforementioned categories led by Jerry Rice, Cris Carter is in the top seven, where he ranks 3rd in receptions (1,100), 7th in receiving yards (13,899), and 4th in touchdowns (130).
Carter Has Better Credentials Than Current Hall of Fame Wide Receivers
Cris Carter’s career shows that not only should he be considered one of the top ten receivers of all time (it can easily be argued that he is second only to Jerry Rice), but he is the definition of a Hall of Fame wide receiver. To date, pro-football-reference.com lists 10 wide receivers (not including flankers or ends) that have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Out of these 10, Carter compares favorably with each inductee. Not one Hall of Fame wide receiver has more than two AP First-Team All Pro selections nor more than Carter’s eight Pro Bowl selections. Carter’s 234 games played would rank second behind only Charlie Joiner, and his 16 seasons were less than only James Lofton’s 17 and Charlie Joiner’s 19.
Portrait of a Hall of Famer
Cris Carter has had one of the greatest careers by an NFL wide receiver, and his exclusion from the 2009 Hall of Fame class is inexcusable. If the criterion for induction is dominance in his era, then Carter should have received 100% of the votes. His numbers support any argument in his favor, and he ranks among the very top of class. It seems a common belief that Carter will eventually get elected to the Hall of Fame, but the idea that enough people would initially consider him any less of a player than an elite, greatest-of-all-time wide receiver is inexplicable.
Mario Mergola - Mario Mergola is a freelance journalist currently writing for multiple websites. His main website, The Digital Blitz, was created by Mario ...
