At what point do you give up on a receiver simply because of his age? Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin, more specifically, went over 1,000 yards last year despite being 35 and 34 years old. Is it realistic to expect either can squeeze out another good season? Or is it wiser to quit while you’re ahead?

The age of 35 is really get up there for a wide receiver. Only three guys older than that age have gone over 1,000 yards in a season. Jerry Rice did it three times, Joey Galloway and Jimmy Smith each did it once.

Over the years, 16 receivers who’ve been 35-plus have gone for 1,000 yards, but only three have gone back the next year and done it again. Those odds indicate we should pull the plug on one Steve Smith.

The hit rate is a lot better for 34-year-olds (and Boldin is in this group). There have been 19 guys going over 1,000 at that age, and almost half (9) have come back and done it again.

Here be them old guys. And for this one, I’m not showing their 1,000-yard season, but instead how they fared the next year.

OLD 1,000-YARD RECEIVERS (the next year)
YearAgePlayerRecYdsAvgTD
200341Jerry Rice6386913.82
200240Jerry Rice921,21113.27
200637Jimmy Smith--------
199937Jerry Rice6783012.45
200837Joey Galloway1313810.60
201536Steve Smith Sr.????
200536Jimmy Smith701,02314.66
200736Joey Galloway571,01417.86
200236Tim Brown8193011.52
200136Cris Carter7387111.96
200936Terrell Owens5582915.15
201036Derrick Mason6180213.17
199236James Lofton5178615.46
199236Drew Hill6062310.43
199836Irving Fryar4855611.62
200636Rod Smith525129.83
199736Henry Ellard3248515.24
201535Anquan Boldin ????
199735Irving Fryar861,31615.36
200035Cris Carter961,27413.39
200135Tim Brown911,16512.89
199135Drew Hill901,10912.34
200535Rod Smith851,10513.06
200635Joey Galloway621,05717.07
200835Terrell Owens691,05215.210
200935Derrick Mason731,02814.17
199635Henry Ellard521,01419.52
200735Isaac Bruce5573313.34
199235Art Monk4664414.03
201035Donald Driver5156511.14
198235Charlie Joiner3654515.10
201335Reggie Wayne3850313.22
200835Bobby Engram4748910.40
198235Frank Lewis2844315.82
200035Tony Martin2639315.10
200735Marvin Harrison2024712.41
199735Jerry Rice77811.11

—Ian Allan