Wilson's dream of Metcalf as Rice is 49ers' worst nightmare

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The Seattle Seahawks' star quarterback and wide receiver are modeling themselves after the most famous connection in 49ers history.

Russell Wilson told NBC Sports Michele Tafoya after the Seahawks' 27-26 win over the Minnesota Vikings on "Sunday Night Football" that he and DK Metcalf want to be like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Wilson thinks Metcalf has the Rice-esque work ethic to pull it off.

"He's old-school in his approach," Wilson said. "We trained all offseason together. One-on-one, spent so much time in the heat. We went down, before COVID broke out, we went down to Mexico and spent hours upon hours just throwing. And if it wasn't perfect, we just went over, and over and over it again and just perfecting it. He's still growing, and I'm glad I get to be part of the process with him."

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Montana was 30 and Rice was 24 when the receiver caught 86 passes for 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns during his second NFL season in 1986, although Montana started just eight games that year. Rice made The Leap that season, earning the first of his 10 First-Team All-Pro honors.

Metcalf, just 22, has made huge strides in his second NFL season. The receiver has caught 20 passes for 496 yards and five touchdowns, while Wilson, 31, is the early MVP front-runner with 19 passing TDs and just three interceptions.

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Wilson has spoken of his admiration for Montana before, but the pair have a long way to go before matching the production of arguably the greatest duo in NFL history. That won't offer much consolation for the 49ers, though, who face the prospect of playing Wilson and Metcalf twice a year for the foreseeable future.

The Seahawks have a potential out of Wilson's contract after 2022, but he's showing no signs of slowing down. Metcalf is under contract for two more seasons after this one, but Seattle almost certainly will exercise his fifth-year option -- if not sign him to a lucrative extension -- as long as he keeps this up.

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Wilson hasn't had a receiver as explosive as Metcalf in his career, and he already was one of the NFL's best QBs and a thorn in the 49ers' side. Just as Montana did (twice) before Rice was drafted, Wilson won a Super Bowl before Metcalf joined Seattle.

Metcalf clearly has the ability to turn Wilson into an even bigger one over the next few seasons, and the pair will make the Seahawks a massive roadblock for the 49ers in the NFC West. The 49ers have plenty standing in the way of divisional dominance following Sunday's 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins, but Wilson and Metcalf scratching the surface of their shared potential shows that road will be a difficult one beyond this season, too.

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