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While Jerry Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and holds most of the major career receiving records (receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, etc.), the title of second-best wide receiver generates significantly more debate. From a statistical perspective, two wide receivers who have previously held the single-season receptions record and later ranked #2 all-time in career receptions upon retirement were Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison. Each player was at one point or another overshadowed by other great receivers (Carter by Rice, Harrison by Randy Moss and Terrell Owens), but was nevertheless an incredibly talented and consistent pass-catcher who retired with 1,000+ career catches, 10,000+ yards, and 100+ touchdowns. In comparing these two legendary pass-catchers, the question is:
Who was better – Cris Carter or Marvin Harrison?
The Beginning
Both Carter and Harrison were standout, record-breaking college receivers, though would require a few seasons to similarly evolve into stars at the professional level.
Growing up in Ohio, Carter was a high school standout in both football and basketball, and was heavily recruited for both. He chose to stay in-state at Ohio State, where he became the Buckeyes’ first All-American wide receiver during his junior year; however, after secretly signing with an agent before his senior season, Carter was ruled ineligible, though he nevertheless finished his college career as the school’s career receptions leader. Afterwards, he was selected in the fourth round of the 1987 Supplemental Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, but only caught 5 passes for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie.
A native of Philadelphia, Harrison attended Syracuse for college, where he was All-Big East as a senior and set a school record for career receiving yards. As a result, he was then drafted 19th overall in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts and had a solid rookie season, posting 64 receptions for 866 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Career Comparison
Once they hit their respective strides, Carter and Harrison were each among the most productive and consistent wide receivers in the NFL, amassing 1,000 yards and/or double-digit touchdowns year in and year out en route to Canton.
From his rookie season, Carter became an ever-increasingly important target for dynamic Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, improving to 761 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 1988, followed by 605 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1989. However, he was cut by Philadelphia ahead of the 1990 season due to alcohol and drug abuse, which turned out to be a career wake-up call. Luckily, Carter was given a second chance and signed by the Minnesota Vikings, though had a quiet first season with the team. By 1991, he set then-career highs with 72 receptions for 962 yards and 5 touchdowns.
As a Viking, Carter’s breakout season came in 1993, when he caught 86 passes for 1,071 yards and 9 touchdowns to earn the first of eight consecutive Pro Bowl selections. Moreover, it was the first of eight straight 1,000-yard seasons and would be followed by back-to-back 100+ catch seasons with the arrival of gunslinger Warren Moon:
- 1994: set a single-season receptions record with 122 catches for 1,256 yards and 7 touchdowns and was a First Team All-Pro; the catch record would be broken the very next season by Herman Moore of the Detroit Lions with 123 receptions
- 1995: a career-best year with 122 receptions once again for a career-high 1,371 yards and a league-leading and career-best 17 touchdowns; earned Second Team All-Pro honors and marked the first of five straight double-digit touchdown seasons
Two years later, Carter again led the league in receiving touchdowns, posting a line of 89 receptions for 1,069 yards and 13 touchdowns in 1997. In 1998, with a rejuvenated Cunningham at quarterback and the addition of Randy Moss, Carter’s numbers remained relatively steady at 78 catches for 1,011 yards and 12 touchdowns. The next season, 1999, would be another great campaign – with 90 receptions for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns, Carter paced the NFL in touchdown receptions for a third time, was First Team All-Pro, and also won the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in the community. His last 1,000-yard season came in 2000 (96 catches for 1,274 yards and 9 touchdowns), as Carter also became just the second player in league history with 1,000 career receptions (after Rice, of course). Carter spent one more year with Minnesota, though his production declined to 871 receiving yards in 2001, and he would leave as the Vikings team leader in career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Finally, he signed with the Miami Dolphins for the 2002 season, but played in only five games and recorded just 8 receptions before retiring at age 37 as second all-time in receptions and receiving touchdowns to Rice.
Similarly, Harrison was a steady pass-catcher for a couple of seasons after his rookie campaign, generating around 60-70 receptions for 800-900 yards and 6-7 touchdowns per season. With the arrival of 1998 #1 overall pick Peyton Manning at quarterback and 1999 first-rounder Edgerrin James at running back, they would combine with Harrison to form a potent new “Triplets” offense; specifically, Harrison would erupt in 1999 with 115 catches for a league-high 1,663 yards and 12 touchdowns to earn the first of eight straight Pro Bowl nods and First or Second Team All-Pro selections (First Team that season). It also marked the beginning of eight years in a row with 80+ catches, 1,000+ yards, and 10+ touchdowns; even more impressively, Harrison would have four consecutive seasons with 100+ catches and 1,400+ yards, including a 2000 season that saw him led the NFL with 102 receptions for 1,413 yards and 14 touchdowns. The next season, he compiled 109 catches for 1,524 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns. This was followed by a record-breaking year in 2002 – Harrison would shatter Herman Moore’s single-season record of 123 catches with an astounding 143 receptions for a league-high and career-best 1,722 yards with 11 touchdowns; this record would stand until Michael Thomas’ 149 catches in 2019.
With the emergence of running mate Reggie Wayne, Harrison’s numbers would dip from his early 2000s peak, though continued to remain Pro Bowl-worthy:
- 2004: 86 receptions for 1,113 yards and tying his career-best with 15 touchdowns
- 2005: 82 receptions for 1,146 yards and 12 touchdowns; only time leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns
- 2006: 95 receptions for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns; final Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro selection and became just the fourth player in league history with 1,000 career catches (after Rice, Carter, and Tim Brown)
After being limited by injuries to only five games in 2007, Harrison returned in 2008, but could only muster 636 receiving yards and retired after the season at age 36; upon retirement, he ranked second all-time in career receptions after Rice and together with Manning, continues to be the most prolific quarterback/wide receiver duo in NFL history.
Though Carter played three additional NFL seasons vs. Harrison, this does not necessarily translate into greater statistics; in fact, the latter actually has more career receptions (by a grand total of one catch) and receiving yards, while the former scored more receiving touchdowns (by two). Each receiver had eight 1,000-yard and Pro Bowl seasons (both consecutive), with Harrison having the edge in both double-digit touchdown seasons (8x vs. 6x) and All-Pro selections (3x vs. 2x). Breaking it down to a per-game basis, Harrison was more prolific, averaging 5.80 receptions for 76.74 yards and 0.67 touchdowns per game over 190 career regular season games to Carter’s 4.71 receptions for 59.40 receiving yards and 0.56 touchdowns per game over 234 games. With a glut of pass-catchers eligible for Canton, neither player was inducted into the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, but both eventually earned their gold jackets – Carter in 2013, followed by Harrison in 2016.
Regular Season Statistics
| Cris Carter | Player | Marvin Harrison |
| 16 (1987-2002) | Seasons | 13 (1996-2008) |
| 234 | Games Played | 190 |
| 1,101 | Receptions | 1,102 |
| 13,899 | Receiving Yards | 14,580 |
| 130 | Receiving Touchdowns | 128 |
| 8x | Pro Bowls | 8x |
| 2x | All-Pro | 3x |
| – | Super Bowls | 1x |
| 1x Walter Payton Man of the Year | Other Awards | – |
| 2013 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2016 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
In terms of the postseason, Carter and Harrison each had about a regular season’s worth of playoff games, though produced below their regular season numbers; Carter fell short of the Super Bowl on numerous occasions, while Harrison managed to come away with one championship title during his career.
Over 10 playoff trips (2x with the Eagles and 8x with the Vikings), Carter made it to a couple of NFC Championship Games, with his biggest postseason success coming in the late 1990s – during four straight postseason trips, he put up over 100 receiving yards each time, with his best individual performance coming in 1997: 12 receptions for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Team-wise, as the top seed in 1998, the heavily favored 15-1 Vikings faced off against the Atlanta Falcons and were in a position to advance to the Super Bowl; however, Minnesota kicker Gary Anderson missed a potential clinching fourth-quarter field goal that allowed Atlanta to storm back and ultimately win the game in overtime 30-27. A few years later, Minnesota again advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2000, but were blown out 41-0 by the New York Giants.
Likewise, Harrison also made 10 career postseason appearances and endured a number of heartbreaking losses (particularly to the New England Patriots); this included an AFC Championship Game loss in 2003 to the Patriots, where Harrison led the playoffs with 16 catches for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nevertheless, the Colts were finally able to exorcise their demons in 2006 by beating Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI; Harrison contributed 15 receptions for 193 yards, including 5 catches for 59 yards in the Super Bowl.
Playoff Statistics
| Cris Carter | Player | Marvin Harrison |
| 14 | Games Played | 16 |
| 63 | Receptions | 65 |
| 870 | Receiving Yards | 883 |
| 8 | Receiving Touchdowns | 2 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; following nearly a decade of top-tier production apiece, Carter and Harrison both missed out on 1,000-yard seasons in their last few seasons. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams, of which Carter and Harrison are part of the First Team for the 1990s and 2000s, respectively), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Cris Carter | Player | Marvin Harrison |
| 1991, 1993-2001 | Decade of Dominance | 1996-1997, 1999-2006 |
| 160 | Games Played | 158 |
| 924 | Receptions | 963 |
| 11,289 | Receiving Yards | 12,921 |
| 101 | Receiving Touchdowns | 115 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
In looking at their decades of dominance, Harrison’s statistical advantage grows slightly in terms of catches, yards, and touchdowns; however, it should bear noting that Harrison played in a more passing-friendly era and had the advantage of catching passes from the legendary Peyton Manning for essentially his entire career.
My Thoughts
The comparison between Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison is anything but straightforward, as wide receiver is a notoriously difficult position to compare across different eras due to the way passing has evolved so quickly in the NFL, even just from the 1990s to the 2000s – throw in the fact that Harrison had the benefit of playing with Peyton Manning while Carter rotated through numerous quarterbacks with the Vikings (Rich Gannon, Jim McMahon, Moon, Brad Johnson, Cunningham, Jeff George, Daunte Culpepper, etc.), and it is clear that statistics do not tell the full story. True, Harrison has the better overall career numbers, but both receivers were clearly among the best of their day (Carter behind Rice, Harrison right up there with Moss and Owens) and each retired as the #2 pass-catcher in history after Rice and were All-Decade First Team selections. Ultimately, I think the differential is small, but I give the slight edge to Carter – he was just as accomplished, if not more, than Harrison in the regular season if you adjust for era and quarterback stability (i.e. both set single-season receptions records, both had eight straight 1,000-yard/Pro Bowl seasons, etc.), and performed better in the playoffs, even if the Vikings fell just short of winning a Super Bowl.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Cris Carter
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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