[Illusion]

A class move by the 49ers.

Rice will officially retire November 19th when the 49ers face the Seahawks.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- One retirement was not good enough for Jerry Rice.

The San Francisco 49ers announced Saturday that Rice, the NFL's all-time leading receiver, will sign a contract with the club Thursday and retire for good in November as a member of the team with which he spent his first 16 seasons.

Rice retired Sept. 5 with the Denver Broncos. Then 42, he had made the Broncos' 53-man roster but was not projected to be their third receiver, so he elected to call it quits.

"I'm excited to return to San Francisco to retire as a 49er," Rice said. "This was my home for many years and this is where so many memories were made. I thank the entire 49ers organization for the opportunity to stand on the field to say goodbye."

Rice possesses dozens of NFL records, including career receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and receiving touchdowns (197).

The 49ers said in a statement that Rice officially will retire Nov. 19, when the team faces the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he played his final NFL games in 2004. San Francisco will honor Rice during a halftime ceremony with a video montage, and the future Hall of Famer subsequently will give a speech.

"While Jerry is going to sign his contract on Aug. 24 to retire as a 49er, it really will not be official until he celebrates in front of the fans on Nov. 19," team owner John York said. "Having Jerry retire as a member of the 49ers is extremely important to [my wife] Denise and me, and it is equally important to our fans and every former 49ers player that has ever worn the uniform."

The 13-time Pro Bowl receiver was a member of three Super Bowl-winning teams with the 49ers. Rice set the NFL record for touchdowns in a season (22) in 1987 and receiving yards (1,848) eight years later. His string of 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons ended in 1997, when he suffered an injury against Tampa Bay in the season's first game.

In Super Bowl XXIII in Miami, Rice captured MVP honors after catching 11 passes for 215 yards in the 49ers' dramatic 20-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rice played with the Oakland Raiders from 2001-04 before spending the final 13 games of the 2004 campaign with the Seahawks.

[bigboydan]

i'm just glad i was around to see rice play, and appreciate what he did while he played with on those great 49er's teams of the late 80's and mid 90's.

[isetcap]

Unquestionably the greatest receiver of all time.

I wonder how much money they're paying him?

So they're going to honor him with a video montage, huh? Whenever I think of a montage, I always get an image of one of the greatest movies ever made; Team America.

The hours approaching, just give it your best
You've got to reach your prime.
That’s when you need to put yourself to the test,
And show us a passage of time,
We're gonna need a montage (montage)
Oh it takes a montage (montage)

Show a lot of things happening at once,
Remind everyone of what’s going on (what’s going on?)
And with every shot you show a little improvement
To show it all would take too long
That’s called a montage (montage)
Oh we want montage (montage)

And anything that we want to go from just a beginner to a pro,
You need a montage (montage)
Even Rocky had a montage (montage)

(Montage…montage)

Anything that we want to go from just a beginner to a pro,
You need a montage (montage)
Oh it takes a montage (montage)

Always fade out in a montage,
If you fade out, it seems like more time
Has passed in a montage,
Montage

[Illusion]

I am curious of the contract details myself cap. What is the veteran minimum anyways?

[bigboydan]

gotta be the same details as emmitt smith had, although i don't know those details ILL.

[Willie Bee]

I sort of thought Emmett's 1-day contract to retire as a Cowboy was hokey, and feel the same about this. A great receiver, no doubt, but I don't understand the pomp & circumstance with the bogus contract so that Rice retires as a 49er. Couldn't they hold the same ceremony and let the San Fran fans honor him without some meaningless piece of paper? Five, 10 years from now, what will it matter?

[Brick Tamland]

there should be a league rule that say he hasto log minutes...even one play. can any old dude in a wheel chair roll his rinkly ass on to the field to retire??