Earlier this month, Keenan Allen became the 16th player in NFL history to record 1,000 career catches.
The Chargers wide receiver did it in just 159 games, however, making him the fastest player even to hit that mark.
After he joined that select club, Allen quipped that being the quickest to do so was a "made up stat," noting that some numbers can be cherry picked to make it appear more exciting.
But Allen's most recent accomplishment — becoming the first player in NFL history with 400 catches from two different quarterbacks — struck a different tone in his mind.
"That's a real stat," Allen said.
Allen, now in his 13th season, has caught 401 career passes from Justin Herbert. And that's on top of the 520 he caught earlier in his career from Philip Rivers.
Each quarterback recently gave their assessment of Allen standing all alone in that exclusive club.
"An awesome accomplishment," Rivers said. "I'm thankful to have been on the front end of a lot of those catches.
"He was such an easy guy to throw to and had unbelievable feel and understanding of defenses," Rivers added. "Not to mention, an unbelievable skillset and ability to run routes and get open."
Herbert added: "He's one of the best to ever do it. We are so lucky to have him on our team as a leader, as a teammate and as a receiver. He finds a way to get open and that's what he's done over his career."
A pair of Hall of Famers were close to establishing the 400-400 club on their own.
Jerry Rice caught 568 passes from Steve Young but 386 from Joe Montana. And Tony Gonzalez had 419 catches from Trent Green but 383 from Matt Ryan.
Only Allen persevered long enough to make history with two different quarterbacks.
So, how has he done it?
Allen has never showcased blazing speed. But Chargers wide receiver coach Sanjay Lal cautioned against people who don't think the 33-year-old is fast.
"I'd never coached him and the thing I was concerned about is that I love speed. But I love game speed and speed into the defense," Lal said. "It doesn't have to be that you run 4.3 [in the 40-yard dash]. For me, it's how he comes off the ball … it's hard with a good body weight.
"So, he does have speed, but he also knows how to set up routes whether early or late. He's big and powerful so if you try grabbing him then he can fight through the grab," Lal continued. "But he's playing the game a step ahead of most people and that's how he wins.
"He'll do subtle things in the route stem that maybe you don't even see by the DB feels it," Lal added. "And that will get him a yard of separation. He's very uniquely gifted."
Allen and Rivers both used the word "consistency" when describing Allen's game.
And that was true even as Allen suffered a lacerated kidney that ended his 2015 season after eight games, plus an ACL tear in the 2016 season opener.
"I was labeled as 'The Glass Man.' They said I was I was made out of glass," Allen said.
Rivers added: "It just shows his consistency week-in and week-out. He was there. I know he battled through some injuries but when he was out there, you knew he was going to be a factor in the game."
Allen has since been more durable as he's now played in 160 career games, including 150 starts.
Of course, playing quarterbacks such as Rivers and Herbert has made for a fun career for a player who exudes personality and flash on a daily basis.
Allen joined the Chargers for the second half of Rivers career.
"Phil was just older and knew the game at such a high level. It was crazy good how he could see the defense and then tell the defense what they're doing," Allen said. "The defense would be lined up wrong and he could put them in their spots. That was uncoachable."
"Me and Phil had a connection where we'd come out and had a route on but we'd look at each other and realize, 'Hey, this is that one we talked about watching film.' So we did that," Allen added.
Herbert, on the other hand, had Allen as a resource when he was a 2020 first-round pick.
In a way, Allen said, the roles then became reversed a bit.
"Just playing with them at two different times in their careers," Allen said. "Obviously, having Justin as a rookie, he was much younger.
"Herbert, his talent is just through the roof," Allen continued. "His arm strength, the way he plays the game with confidence, it's great."
"I try to be the Phil in certain instances, especially on third down," Allen added. "A few years ago, I used to be the only receiver who could [change] his route. So, I would pump the route based on what we'd seen during the game. We've been able to make it come to life."
As Week 7 approaches, those who have been around Allen for any extended amount of time say that are thrilled at the milestones he continues to check off in his incredible career.
And everyone, including Allen, agrees that it's only right that he's doing it in powder blue.
"We visualized that a couple months ago when Keenan started practicing with us," Harbaugh said, referring to Allen joining the Bolts in training camp.
"We knew it was going to be cool to be a part of. And what's it like? It's cool to be a part of," Harbaugh added with a smile. "It's coming to fruition and we want that for our guys."
Allen added: "This where I started at and this is home base. It's where I have the majority of those catches. Being able it to do this in front of the fans was special."
Rivers gave his own inside perspective.
"It's a lot of fun now. I enjoy him being back with the Chargers and watching them on Sundays," Rivers said. "I'm pulling for them. It brings back great memories. He's one of my all-time favorites and a guy I always pull for."
For the record, Allen now has 1,007 career catches, 937 of which have come with the Chargers.
The next milestone in his sights is catching (and surpassing) Antonio Gates’ franchise record of 955 career receptions.
Allen said that one "absolutely" would mean the most out of anything he's accomplished in his career.
"That's the priority one," Allen said. "Definitely trying to catch Gates."
If, or when, Allen gets there, it will certainly be a real stat.
