If you want to understand an elite NFL wide receiver, just ask one. Former NFL star Cris Carter went on Fox Sports 1’s “First Things First” and was gushing about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

He even went so far as to lump him in with Barry Sanders and Darrell Green and the three greatest small players to ever play in the NFL. The Pro Football Hall of Famer had nothing but good things to say about Brown’s skills and complete game. He noted his speed, lateral quickness and catch radius as aspects of his game that make him stand out among even the best wide receivers in the league.

Carter also feels that Brown could play eight or nine more seasons. We’ve already talked about why we think Brown isn’t going to be willing to put in that kind of time into the game once Ben Roethlisberger retires. I hope Brown plays until he’s old and gray, but that might not be realistic.

Just to put the numbers in perspective, here’s what Brown could need to do in order to finish his career on top in terms of receptions. Brown needs 816 receptions to pass Jerry Rice. Brown has averaged 91 receptions per season during his career.

If we account for the eventual drop-off in production and give him 80 catches per year for the remainder of his career, he’d have to play a little over 10 more seasons. If we give Brown a massive benefit of the doubt that he’d average of 90 per year going forward that’s still nine-plus seasons.