Cincinnati Bengals: 15 greatest wide receivers of all-time
By John Buhler
WR. (1986-92, 1994-95). Tim McGee. 9. player. 56.
- 282 career receptions w/Bengals
- 4,703 career receiving yards w/Bengals
- 25 career touchdown receptions w/Bengals
- Career 38.9 receiving yards per game w/Bengals
Tim McGee spent nearly all of his NFL career with the Bengals. Outside of one year with the 1993 Washington Redskins, McGee was pretty much a Bengal for his pro football life. McGee was drafted in the first round out of Tennessee by the Bengals in the 1986 NFL Draft, a team he’d spend eight of nine seasons with.
McGee might have played sparingly during his first two years in the league in 1986 and 1987. However, his jump in year three coincided with the Bengals’ second trip to the Super Bowl in 1988. McGee had 36 catches for 686 receiving yards and six touchdowns playing in Sam Wyche’s no-huddle offense. Led by NFL MVP quarterback Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati nearly won Super Bowl XXIII over Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers.
Though the Bengals didn’t get back to the Super Bowl in 1989, McGee continued to be a dominant playmaker in the no-huddle offense. 1989 ended up being his best year in the NFL. McGee had 65 catches for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns, all of which ended up being career highs. Shockingly, McGee’s 1989 stat line wasn’t good enough to garner him a Pro Bowl nod.
Over the next three years from 1990 to 1992, McGee continued to be a reliable receiver in the Bengals’ passing game. However, the team had begun to fall on hard times and his production did end up slipping. After only 408 receiving yards in 16 games for the 1992 Bengals, he had to switch teams and spend a season with Washington.
McGee’s one year with the Redskins was respectable with 39 catches for 500 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. However, McGee’s heart was in Cincinnati. He returned for one last pro year in 1994, but was ultimately a shell of himself. McGee had 13 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown in his final professional career.
Overall, McGee ended up with 282 receptions for 4,703 yards and 25 touchdowns in Bengals uniform. His 38.9 yards per game receiving is decent. Though he never played in a Pro Bowl, his body of work over eight seasons is enough to have McGee inside of the top-10 on this Bengals all-time list.