He’s one of only four players to win the triple crown (leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns), which he did in 2005 when he had 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The other three players to pull that off had considerably better supporting casts and situations. Jerry Rice, in 1990, had Joe Montana at quarterback. Sterling Sharpe, in 1992, was coached by Mike Holmgren and had Brett Favre throwing it to him. Cooper Kupp, in 2021, had Sean McVay and Matt Stafford.
Smith, on the other hand, had John Fox and Jake Delhomme and played on a team that actually had more rushing attempts (487) than pass attempts (449) that year.
In terms of total numbers, Smith has a solid case. He’s eighth on the league’s all-time receiving yards list (14,731), and the only player ahead of him there who is not already in the Hall is the not-yet-eligible Larry Fitzgerald. So he’s ahead of Johnson, Wayne, and Holt there. Smith’s 12th on the all-time receptions list (1,031), where he trails Wayne (1,070, 10th) and Johnson (1,062, 11th) but sits ahead of Holt (920, 22nd).
Smith doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring, or a Hall of Fame quarterback teammate, so Wayne and Holt will stay ahead of him in those rankings.
Smith has been gracious about his place in the line and those ahead of him, but his resume stands on its own and will be judged in due time.
This year, all three of the receivers in the discussion made the cut from the final 15 to the final 10, along with cornerback Albert Lewis (in his final year of eligibility as a modern candidate so he won’t be back next year) and pass-rusher Jared Allen.
But in 2022, Johnson made the cut to the final 10, while Holt and Wayne did not get that far. Often, players who reach the final 10 but aren’t elected stand solid chances the following year. That could bode well for one or more of them, especially with a shorter list of top first-year eligible names.
Other than Peppers, tight end Antonio Gates is the only other player up for the first time next year who has been on an All-Decade team.
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