If I asked you to name the one active wide receiver who is in the top-10 all-time in both receptions and receiving yards right now, who would you guess? As a free agent right now Reggie Wayne stretches the definition of active, but he is seventh in NFL history in receptions (1,070) and eighth in receiving yards (14,345). Those of you that would have guessed Andre Johnson were not far off, as he is ninth all-time in receptions right now (1,012), but he he falls short in yardage (13,597-12th all-time) entering this season.

Wayne has said he wants to play one more season, and there are recent rumors suggesting multiple teams may have interest in him, but his age and recent injury history may force him into retirement. If he never plays another down Wayne should be remembered as the most under-appreciated wide receiver of this era, and there’s a case to be made for him being the most underrated wide receiver in NFL history.

Having Peyton Manning under center for the Indianapolis Colts obviously worked to Wayne’s advantage during the peak of his career, but he is far from the first wide receiver to benefit from working with a great quarterback (see Jerry Rice-Joe Montana) and that’s not a reason to dismiss Wayne.

Wide receivers are known as diva-like personalities that make waves with teammates and media, but during his best seasons Wayne just went about his business with little fanfare and no controversy. From 2004-2010, he had at least 82 receptions or 1,100 yards in a season six times (both five times) with the only outliers coming in 2004 (77 receptions) and 2005 (1,055 yards). He has never been an elite touchdown scorer, but Wayne had at least nine touchdown receptions four times over those same seven seasons while finishing in the top-10 of the league in that category all four times.

The arrival of Andrew Luck in 2012 brought a resurgence for Wayne, as he had 106 receptions (sixth in the league) for 1,355 yards (seventh in the league) and five touchdowns during his age-34 season. A torn ACL limited him to just seven games in 2013 and multiple injuries (triceps, knee, elbow) hampered Wayne last year, but that does not diminish what he has accomplished during his career.

I think it would take the perfect combination of injuries that create a need and a great team fit for Wayne to latch on somewhere between now and Week 1, so I’d bet on his career being over if I had to. There’s no doubt about his Hall of Fame worthiness, whenever he is ultimately inducted, but it’s a shame that Wayne will largely be an afterthought when we think of the best (and most productive) wide receivers in NFL history.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.