Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice represent the pinnacle of their respective positions. A shutdown dynamic cornerback. A crisp route-running receiver. Both are considered arguably the greatest of all time at their spots. However, greatness doesn’t always look the same, and their polar-opposite personalities pushed them to the brink.
Jerry was known as the no-nonsense, methodical receiver who’d rather let his game do the talking than pop his gums. Deion, however, was the flashy, loudmouth, gold-chain-rocking, multi-nickname-having, dared-to-play-two-sports counterpart. And these were all labels attached to the man also known as “Prime Time” before he even hit the NFL.
So when the Atlanta Falcons drafted Sanders fifth overall in 1989 and slotted him in the same division as Rice in the NFC West, the battle of old guard vs. fresh blood immediately took shape. Whether through intense battles as division rivals, nearly coming to blows as teammates, or feelings of betrayal, the two built up a special hate for each other… AKA beef.