Fansided

Ranking the 30 Best NFL QB-WR duos in the modern era

By Brad Weiss

ANAHEIM, CA - CIRCA 1991:Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jerry Rice (80) on his TD catch against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1991 in Anaheim,California on November 25th 1991. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - CIRCA 1991:Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jerry Rice (80) on his TD catch against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1991 in Anaheim,California on November 25th 1991. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 20: Jerry Rice and Joe Montana stand on the field during halftime of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi Stadium on December 20, 2015, in Santa Clara, California. The Bengals defeated the 49ers 24-14. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 20: Jerry Rice and Joe Montana stand on the field during halftime of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi Stadium on December 20, 2015, in Santa Clara, California. The Bengals defeated the 49ers 24-14. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

30 Best NFL QB-WR duos in the modern era

No. 1: Joe Montana and Jerry Rice

In the history of the NFL, the consensus best player to ever step on a field is former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice. The holder of numerous NFL records, Rice was an ironman, playing 21 seasons in the NFL, 16 of those coming in the Bay Area with the 49ers.

During his career in San Francisco, Rice had two elite quarterbacks, one, Steve Young, we had already mentioned, as they formed the No. 3 QB-WR duo on this list. The other, Joe Montana, a man who led this franchise to four Super Bowl appearances, winning all four games, and taking home Most Valuable Player honors three times.

The only Super Bowl he was not named MVP was Super Bowl XXIII, the game in which Rice earned his only Super Bowl MVP award. That was their third title together, and during their time together, they put up eye-popping statistics, connecting for nearly 7,000 yards and 67 touchdowns in 77 games. Outside of his rookie season, Rice never had fewer than 1,078 yards in a year with Montana getting him the football.

This was an incredible run of success, and while Manning and Harrison had more touchdowns and yards, you cannot write a ranking of the best QB-WR duos in history without the tandem that won four Super Bowls together being at the top. Sure, Rice had success with Young, elite success, but Montana-to-Rice is the best QB-WR in San Francisco and NFL history.

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