He is considered by many NFL players, coaches, and analysts to be one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

[citation needed] Monk attended and played college football at Syracuse University, where he was a four-year Orangemen letterman (1976–79).

He also set the record for career receptions when he caught his 820th in a Monday Night game against Denver on October 12, 1992.

[3][6] He became the first player to eclipse 900 receptions, and pushed the record up to 940 before being overtaken by Jerry Rice in the final week of his last season (1995).

[1] With the retirement of James Lofton in 1993, he was the NFL's active leader in career yards for just two weeks in 1994 before being passed by Jerry Rice.

[6] On August 2, 2008, Monk, along with fellow Washington Redskins teammate Darrell Green, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[1] A devout Christian, Monk helped found the Good Samaritan Foundation with his Washington teammates Charles Mann, Tim Johnson and Earnest Byner.