Seahawks release Rice at request

SEATTLE – Jerry Rice was the third receiver taken in the 1985 draft behind Eddie Brown and Al Toon, who have both been out of the NFL for more than a decade.

Rice may finally join them in retirement.

Rice was released by the Seattle Seahawks on Friday, perhaps signaling an end to the career of the greatest receiver in NFL history.

The release was requested by Rice and announced in a short statement from the team, which acquired the 42-year-old Rice from Oakland at the trade deadline last season.

Rice was taken with the 16th pick by the San Francisco 49ers, who traded up to acquire the talented receiver from Division I-AA Mississippi Valley State. Few expected Rice would rewrite the NFL record books.

Rice is the career leader in receptions with 1,549; total yards with 22,895; and touchdowns receiving with 197, all far ahead of the closest pursuer. He also leads in total touchdowns with 207.

Rice indicated after the Seahawks were eliminated by St. Louis in the playoffs last month that he still was interested in playing.

“I still feel like I have football left in me, a lot of football in me,” he said.

But is there a team that might be interested in signing a 42-year-old who won three Super Bowl titles with the 49ers and was the Super Bowl MVP in 1989?

“He’s going to evaluate the landscape over the next several months,” said Rice’s agent, Jim Steiner. “I think the fire still burns for him.”

In recent years, Rice’s numbers significantly decreased.

Rice was released by San Francisco after the 2000 season as Terrell Owens developed into the 49ers’ main receiving threat. Rice moved across San Francisco Bay and signed with the Oakland Raiders.

In 2002, Rice had 92 catches for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns in helping the Raiders reach the Super Bowl.

But Rice began getting phased out of the Raiders’ offense in 2003, catching just 63 passes and two TDs. This past season, Rice had only five catches with the Raiders before being traded to Seattle.

In Seattle he was reunited with Holmgren, who was San Francisco’s offensive coordinator during some of his best years.

Last season, Rice had 30 catches for 429 yards, by far the lowest totals of his 20-year career other than in 1997, when he missed most of the season with a knee injury. His three touchdown receptions last season and two in 2003 were the lowest of his career for any full season other than his rookie year, when he also had three.

Rice’s best game for Seattle came in a 43-39 loss to Dallas on Dec. 6. Rice had eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.

Steiner said Rice knew he was being brought to Seattle for a one-time shot at a deep playoff run.

“He was brought in on a one-year basis to make the run this year,” Steiner said. “He understands the situation and felt this was the right thing to do.”

Rice’s possible return to San Francisco has been a hot topic in the Bay Area, but new 49ers coach Mike Nolan has mostly discouraged such speculation. Earlier this week, 49ers coach Nolan acknowledged the club discussed signing Rice so he could retire with San Francisco.

“It’s my understanding in our discussions that Jerry still wants to test the market … If he wants to retire (with the 49ers), that is certainly something that we would be very open to, but it’s my understanding that those aren’t his desires,” Nolan said.