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Jerry Rice Wants to Have a 49ers Statue at Levi's Stadium

Make it happen.
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers former wide receiver Jerry Rice before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers former wide receiver Jerry Rice before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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Jerry Rice is a San Francisco 49ers legend.

The word “legend” is thrown around a lot in sports, but if it were measured by simple criteria of greatness, longevity, and loyalty, Rice fits the description perfectly.

Jerry Rice admits he would cry if he had a statue outside Levi's Stadium

Jerry Ric
San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice walks on to the field before the game between San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Levi’s Stadium already honours statues of Joe Montana and Dwight Clark for “The Catch,” which occurred in the 1982 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys. It was, and still is, one of the most recognized plays in NFL history, and arguably the most significant in franchise history.

Those are the only statues outside, other than inside the 49ers Museum, where Rice already has a statue. But when asked whether Rice would love to have a statue outside too, he shared: "I would love that to be honest with you. I think we have had talks about that. It could happen," said Jerry Rice at Pro Bowl training.

"If it happens, though, I'm probably going to be so emotional. I'm probably just going to break down and cry. I sit back and I watch Dwight Clark and Joe Montana from "The Catch" from the dynasty."

But Rice added that it's not his decision on whether he wants his own statue, stating: "I'm just going to leave it up to everyone else if they want to do that. And if they want to show me love like that, I would gladly welcome that, but I'm not going to just push it."

Ultimately, Rice is arguably the best player to ever represent the red and gold. He is even more so undisputed at his position as a wide receiver and is often regarded as the greatest of all time in that role. 22,895 yards and 208 total touchdowns are figures no one has yet mastered.

His greatness should be recognized. He spent 15 years in San Francisco, and his entire career was legendary. To this day, no player comes close to many of his records, and his career was essentially like combining two standard careers into one.

It’s only fair that Rice has his own statue outside the venue. He belongs on the 49ers’ Mount Rushmore and likely the NFL’s as well. Honoring him this way would reflect well on San Francisco’s front office and owners, giving something back to the man who helped build a dynasty and define the organization today.

Do the right thing, Jed York. It's simply a no-brainer decision.

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Henry Cheal
HENRY CHEAL

Henry Cheal is a versatile sports journalist specializing primarily in his two biggest passions - American sports and motorsport. He is currently the owner of a motorbike racing outlet titled The Moto Report, where he produces written and video content on the biggest motorbike racing series in the world. Henry has previously contributed San Francisco 49ers content to VAVEL USA, The League Winners, and OffGrid NFL. Based in the UK, Henry began following the organization in the 2011 season, before attending his first game in October 2022. His career highlights include covering the team for On SI throughout 2025 and previously interviewing 49ers legend George Kittle on a wide range of topics, such as his career highlights and what it means to him to represent the city of San Francisco.

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