Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf eyeing an NFL record that Peyton Manning says is unbreakable
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf hasn't even finished his first full season in the NFL, but after getting off to a hot start with Russell Wilson, the two are starting to think big when it comes to what they might be able to accomplish together during their time in Seattle.
During a recent interview with ESPN.com, Metcalf revealed that one thing he's talked about with Wilson is that the two of them would like to break the NFL record for most touchdowns between a quarterback and a receiver. If Metcalf wasn't sure who holds the record, he knows now, because Wilson sent him that information in a text.
"Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison hold the record for the most touchdowns for a quarterback-receiver duo with 114," Wilson wrote, via ESPN.com.
So how does Metcalf feel about going for that record?
"I keep that in the back of my mind every time I go play, every time I go practice," Metcalf said. "That's the record that has to be taken down by us. That's who we're chasing."
Metcalf has already proven he can chase down anyone on the field -- hello Budda Baker -- but running down this record won't be as easy. Through 10 weeks, Wilson and Metcalf have connected on eight touchdowns, which puts them on pace for 14 on the season. If they can somehow average 14 touchdowns per year together going forward, it would take until 2028 for them to break the record. Of course, that's much easier said than done.
The two biggest issues these two could face is that Wilson would be 40 years old and there's no guarantee Metcalf would stick around in Seattle. Even though he clearly wants to stay with the Seahawks, he'll potentially be able to make a lot of money as a free agent, especially if he's averaging 14 touchdown catches per season. They also both have to stay healthy. Also, keeping up that pace isn't easy. It took Manning and Harrison 11 seasons to reach 114 touchdowns, which means they averaged 10.4 scoring connections per year.
All of this might be why Manning thinks his scoring record with Harrison is the most unbreakable record he has.
"I think many records will be broken -- most of my records will be broken -- I don't believe that record that me and Marvin have of throwing the most touchdowns together will ever be broken," Manning said in 2016.
That sounds like a challenge and Wilson and Metcalf are two guys who love a good challenge. After all, they built their connection while training together in Mexico during the offseason and Wilson says that has already paid off.
"There's a whole other level of the game that we thought we could really go to, me and him," Wilson said. "We want to make it one of those special Joe Montana-Jerry Rice type relationships. We've spent a lot of one-on-one time just putting the extra work in, and it's definitely shown up in so many different ways so far."
That's not the first time Wilson has mentioned trying to emulate Montana and Rice. Earlier this season, Wilson hinted at the same thing during a postgame interview.
"Hopefully me and him can become a little Jerry Rice and Joe Montana," Wilson said in October, via Yahoo.com. "He's only 22, think about that. So, what I mean by that is his work ethic. He's old school in his approach. We trained all offseason together. We spent hours upon hours just throwing. If it wasn't perfect, we just went over and over and over. He's still growing and I'm glad I get to be apart of the process with him."
Sometimes, a rookie in the NFL can lack confidence as they try to navigate their way through their first year in the league, but that's definitely not an issue for Metcalf.
"I feel like confidence is the word for this topic," Metcalf said. "Confidence in myself. Confidence in my work that I've put in throughout the whole summer. Confidence that every time the ball's in the air, I'm going to come down with it. Confidence that I can make any play out there on the field, whether it's to tackle somebody or throwing a block."
Metcalf also has the confidence that the unbreakable Manning-Harrison record can be broken.
Here's a look at the top-10 scoring connections in NFL history:
1. Manning to Harrison: 114
2. Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski: 94 (Active)
3. Steve Young to Rice: 92
4. Philip Rivers to Antonio Gates: 90
5. Dan Marino to Mark Clayton: 82
6. Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown: 78
T-7. Drew Brees to Marques Colston: 76
T-7. Manning to Reggie Wayne: 76
9. Jim Kelly to Andre Reed: 71
10. Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson: 70
Note: Montana and Rice are tied with Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman for 11th on this list with 67 connections.
Note II: Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are the only two who have a chance of joining this list anytime soon. The Falcons teammates have connected for 65 touchdowns and could move into the top-10 with five more scores this season.
