The Indianapolis Colts released Marvin Harrison, who had played for the franchise for his entire 13-year career, last week and the future Hall of Fame wide receiver has yet to sign with another team. Can we expect to see Harrison wearing new colors next year, or is his career finished?
Bear with me for a moment, while I set up the background.
Harrison wasn't released solely because he is incapable of playing football anymore. The Colts couldn't afford to pay him so much -- Harrison was scheduled to make $13.4 million in 2009, the highest amount of any receiver, and the Colts saved $6 million in salary by releasing him -- and already have bonafide star Reggie Wayne and up-and-comer Anthony Gonzalez.
At the age of 36, Harrison clearly is nearing the end of his career. But even though he wasn't the No. 1 receiver in Indianapolis the past few seasons, he was a capable No. 2 or No. 3 option -- and there are plenty of teams out there that could use his presence, as ESPN.com's Bill Williamson attested.
In his most recent column, Sports Illustrated's Peter King said he thinks Harrison is done:
I would be surprised if Marvin Harrison plays again. Here's the thing about Harrison: He's made more than $80 million in his 13-year career, including $23 million over the last three seasons. He was due to make $9 million this year. His knees are hurt and he doesn't love football enough at this point to play for something like $2 million plus incentives. In fact, I don't think he loves football much at all right now, feeling the way he feels. And he's not going to fake it. Might he go to someone's camp this summer? Only if the gets real money to do so.
King's colleague, Arash Markazi, however, wrote shortly after Harrison's release that the wide receiver was almost done, but not quite.
Harrison's career isn't over. He'll likely play another season or two, but chances are it won't be for a team outside of Indianapolis. That is unless some team is more enamored with Harrison's name and legacy rather than what he can still do on the field. The best case scenario for him would be re-signing with the Colts and finishing his career where he started it 13 years ago, which in today's league is almost as impressive as any receiving record Harrison has.
Let's look at how other top NFL wide receivers have ended their careers. Harrison is second on the all-time receptions list, so let's look at the top 15:
Rank Player Catches Years
1. Jerry Rice 1,549 1985-2004
2. Marvin Harrison 1,102 1996-2008
3. Cris Carter 1,101 1987-2002
4. Tim Brown 1,094 1988-2004
5. Isaac Bruce 1,003 1994-2008
6. Terrell Owens 951 1996-2008
7. Andre Reed 951 1985-2000
8. Art Monk 940 1980-1995
9. Tony Gonzalez 916 1997-2008
10. Keenan McCardell 883 1992-2007
11. Torry Holt 869 1999-2008
12. Jimmy Smith 862 1992-2005
13. Irving Fryar 851 1984-2000
14. Rod Smith 849 1995-2006
15. Randy Moss 843 1998-2008
Active players are in bold
It's worth noting that only four have played their entire career with one team -- Smith, who is retired, and Harrison, Holt and Gonzalez, who are all active. Of the top 50 reception leaders (including ties, the number is slightly higher), only 13 have played their entire career with one team.
My point? How did these greats finish their careers? Of the nine who aren't still active, seven signed with their final team while in their late 30s. Only one (Jerry Rice) posted significant success, and one (Irving Fryar) was moderately successful. Simply put, Harrison is historically likely to sign with another team this year and catch fewer than 30 passes before retiring.
Jerry Rice, as usual, is a statistical anomaly. After leaving San Francisco at the age of 38, he had three productive years with Oakland, making one Pro Bowl, before his swansong season with Seattle.
Cris Carter left Minnesota at the age of 36, and caught eight passes for Miami.
Tim Brown left Oakland at the age of 38, and caught 24 passes for Tampa Bay.
Andre Reed left Buffalo at the age of 35, and caught 10 passes for Washington.
Art Monk left Washington at the age of 36, and caught 46 passes in a full season with the New York Jets before a six-catch affair with Philadelphia.
Keenan McCardell was traded several times at the end of his career, but after San Diego didn't want him anymore at the age of 36, he had a 22-catch last gasp with Washington.
Jimmy Smith retired with Jacksonville, the only team for which he ever caught a pass.
Irving Fryar played well for three teams, and after leaving Philadelphia at the age of 36, he caught 67 passes in two seasons for Washington.
Rod Smith played for the Broncos his entire career.
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