Jerry Rice says if Jon Gruden wanted him to sign with the Raiders right now he’d do it ‘in a heartbeat’

As far as hypotheticals go, this isn’t even one. But in case you had any doubts about how confident Jerry Rice is in his abilities, dude thinks he can still throw on an NFL jersey and compete.

The 55-year-old former (?) wide out retired from football after the 2004 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010 — some eight years ago.

Rice was in attendance at the Raiders’ facility for Jon Gruden’s introductory press conference. He told Adam Schefter that he and Gruden were “joking” about him lacing them up and that he could still has “about 80 catches” in him.

Having played in the NFL at a high level as long as Rice did, eventually outperforming players half his age tends to signify considerable confidence. He had over 1200 yards and made a Pro Bowl at the age of 40. That year he helped lead the Raiders to the Super Bowl.

Schefter went on to ask Rice if Gruden asked him to sign with the team and come to training camp, what he would say; “I would be on the football field in a heartbeat,” Rice replied with a laugh. “I wouldn’t even give it a second thought.”

I say let’s see if that would extend to a coaching position.