Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
Would you put Hopkins in the 'all time great' camp?
Because for many of those guys, they became all time greats by VIRTUE of their performance in their 30s. It's a self-selecting group; it's how they accumulated those numbers - by simply continuing to play at a very high level for another 3-4 years into their 30s.
For example, at 29 Chad Johnson looked for all the world like an 'all-time great' and then...wasn't. Nobody considers Roddy White an 'all time great' but through his late 20s he put up 6 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons and averaged almost 1,300 yards/season over that span.
He plays 3-4 more years at that level and his numbers land him in the top 15-20 of all time. But he didn't. He isn't considered an 'all time great' BECAUSE his didn't perform into his mid 30s.
Playing well into their mid-30s is what makes the majority of these guys fall into 'all-time great' status with notable exceptions like Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson who took the Sandy Koufax/Pedro Martinez route and were just so damn dominant in their primes that they didn't need longevity.
I don't think Hopkins falls into that latter category and I don't see anything to confidently state he'd qualify for the former.
And again - I'm offering him $15 million/season here; i'm not saying he'll suck. But I think I'm pricing in the risk of collapse into my offer.
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Fair points. Take away Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson and tell me who had better career stats at the age of 30 though. I would bet a lot of money you'd have a hard time putting together a list of more than 3 or 4 receivers. Hopkins has spent the entirety of his career playing in dysfunctional organizations as well. He hasn't played with all time great quarterbacks and high flying offenses.