Oakland Raiders: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time

Similar to how Charles Woodson didn’t really need any introduction, the same should be true for the greatest wide receiver of all-time. Everyone knows that he spent an incredible 16 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he tallied nearly 20,000 receiving yards. Yet at the ripe old age of 39, Jerry Rice moved across the bay to play for Jon Gruden and the Raiders.

Pairing Rice with Raiders legend Tim Brown was fruitful, as both had tremendous seasons in the early 2000s. Rice helped the Raiders to two consecutive playoff berths, including one Super Bowl appearance in the 2002 season. His three seasons with Oakland were incredible, especially considering he was 40 years old when the Raiders made the Super Bowl.

In 2001 when he joined the team, Rice posted 1,139 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. He followed that up with 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns. One more time to really hammer the point home…he was 40 years old. That defies all football logic.

Statistics, a solid locker room presence, and a personality that helped sell tickets. Rice really was the full package, on and off the field. All things considered, Rice would top this list in a lot of other scenarios. Unfortunately, the Raiders made one better signing along the way. It just so happened to be the quarterback throwing Rice the ball.