Football is certainly a younger man's game.
The physicality and toughness required to either absorb hits, or be the one making them, over the course of a full season means most NFL stars are in their 20s. Some players age well into their 30s by taking care of their bodies — but rarely is there a player of at least 40 stepping onto a football field.
It has happened several times, however, and most of the elder players in NFL history played one of two positions: kicker or quarterback. Following the season-ending Achilles injury to Daniel Jones, the Indianapolis Colts signed the retired Philip Rivers to bolster their quarterback depth chart. Given that Rivers is 44 years old, it's natural to wonder where he would rank among the oldest players ever once he sees the field again.
Here's a full list of the oldest players to play in an NFL game.
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1. George Blanda, QB/K (48)
- Birthday: Sept. 17, 1927
- Final Season: 1975
- Teams: Chicago Bears (1949, 1950-58), Baltimore Colts (1950), Houston Oilers (1960-66), Oakland Raiders (1967-75)
- Career Stats: 340 games, 26,920 passing yards, 236 passing TDs, 277 INTs, 60.6 rating, 335 FGM, 943 XPM
- Awards/Accolades: 3-time AFL champion, 1961 AFL MVP, 1974 NFL Man of the Year, 1-time First-team All-AFL, 2-time Second-team All-AFL, 4-time AFL All-Star
The oldest player to ever appear in an NFL game was George Blanda, who played quarterback and kicker in pro football for 26 seasons — the most in the history of the sport. Blanda played in both the AFL and NFL, and at the time of his retirement in 1976, he had scored more points than anyone in history.
Blanda played for the Bears, Colts, Oilers and Raiders as both a quarterback and kicker. He retired in August 1976 at the age of 48, the oldest player to ever play in the NFL; his final NFL game was on Jan. 4, 1976, in the AFC Championship game, when he made a 41-yard field goal and an extra point as the Raiders lost to the Steelers 16–10. Blanda was released by the Raiders in 1976 training camp and retired.
One of only three NFL players to play in four different decades, Blanda holds career records for most extra points made (943) and attempted (959). He played pro football from 1949 (age 22) to 1976 (age 48).
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2. Morten Andersen, K (47)
- Birthday: Aug. 19, 1960
- Final Season: 2007
- Teams: New Orleans Saints (1982-94), Atlanta Falcons (1995–2000, 2006-07), New York Giants (2001), Kansas City Chiefs (2002-03), Minnesota Vikings (2004)
- Career Stats: 382 games, 565 FGM, 849 XPM, 2,544 points
- Awards/Accolades: 4-time First-team All-Pro, 2-time Second-team All-Pro, 7-time Pro Bowl, 2-time Golden Toe Award
Morten Andersen played in the NFL for 25 seasons, primarily with the Saints and Falcons. "The Great Dane," who was born in Copenhagen, holds the all-time NFL record for games played with 382.
Inducted as the second kicker into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, Andersen is also the Saints' all-time leading scorer. In 2006, Andersen became the all-time leading scorer in NFL history and all-time field goals made leader, records that were later surpassed.
Andersen did not receive any contract offers for the 2008 season, and he retired on Dec. 6 of that year — just two days after he would have become the oldest player ever to appear in an NFL game.
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3. Adam Vinatieri, K (47)
Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK
- Birthday: Dec. 28, 1972
- Final Season: 2019
- Teams: New England Patriots (1996–2005), Indianapolis Colts (2006-19)
- Career Stats: 365 games, 599 FGM, 874 XPM, 2,673 points
- Awards/Accolades: 4-time Super Bowl champion, 3-time First-team All-Pro, 3-time Pro Bowl
Arguably the most successful kicker in NFL history when accounting for individual and team accolades, Adam Vinatieri played until age 47 as a member of the 2019 Colts.
Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer at 2,673 points, also holding the records for field goals made (599), postseason points (238) and overtime field goals made (12), only adding onto his four Super Bowl rings. Vinatieri had multiple final-second field goals to win Super Bowls for the Patriots.
He is also the only player to score 1,000 points for two different franchises, and when he officially retired in 2021 — two years after his final season with the Colts — he was the last active NFL player whose career began in the 1990s. Vinatieri played 24 NFL seasons.
MORE: Ranking the best Patriots players of all-time
4. John Carney, K (46)
- Birthday: Apr. 20, 1964
- Final Season: 2010
- Teams: Cincinnati Bengals (1987), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987-89), San Diego Chargers (1990, 1990-2000), Los Angeles Rams (1990), New Orleans Saints (2001-06, 2009-10), Jacksonville Jaguars (2007), Kansas City Chiefs (2007), New York Giants (2008)
- Career Stats: 302 games, 478 FGM, 628 XPM, 2,062 points
- Awards/Accolades: 1-time Super Bowl champion, 1-time First-team All-Pro, 1-time Second-team All-Pro, 2-time Pro Bowl
From 1987-2010, John Carney was an NFL kicker, having spent time with eight different franchises. The Notre Dame alum was the last remaining player from the 1980s still active in pro football.
Carney won a Super Bowl with the Saints. In 2010, he started the season not on a team, but he landed back with New Orleans to become the oldest active player at the time, at age 46.
Carney is another of three NFL players to play across four different decades.
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5. Tom Brady, QB (45)
- Birthday: Aug. 3, 1977
- Final Season: 2022
- Teams: New England Patriots (2000-19), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-22)
- Career Stats: 335 games, 89,214 passing yards, 649 passing TDs, 212 INTs, 97.2 rating
- Awards/Accolades: 7-time Super Bowl champion, 5-time Super Bowl MVP, 3-time NFL MVP, 2-time Offensive Player of the Year, 1-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year, 3-time First-team All-Pro, 3-time Second-team All-Pro, 15-time Pro Bowl
Look at the accolades. Does Tom Brady need an introduction? There will never be another quarterback like him, and not just because of his accomplishments and peaks as the game's best passer, but primarily because of his unreal longevity.
He's the oldest quarterback to ever play in the NFL, and he was just as great at age 45 as he was when he won his first Super Bowl in 2001. Brady holds league records for: Super Bowl appearances, Super Bowl titles, passing yards, completions, touchdown passes and games started by a quarterback. He is the only Super Bowl MVP for two different franchises.
Brady is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl in three separate decades, perhaps the stat that best describes his combination of individual excellence with years and years of experience. In terms of his age, he was the oldest NFL MVP at age 40, the oldest Super Bowl MVP at age 43, and the oldest quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl at age 44.
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6. Gary Anderson, K (45)
- Birthday: July 16, 1959
- Final Season: 2004
- Teams: Buffalo Bills (1982), Pittsburgh Steelers (1982-94), Philadelphia Eagles (1995-96), San Francisco 49ers (1997), Minnesota Vikings (1998–2002), Tennessee Titans (2003–2004)
- Career Stats: 353 games, 538 FGM, 820 XPM, 2,434 points
- Awards/Accolades: 2-time First-team All-Pro, 1-time Second-team All-Pro, 4-time Pro Bowl
From 1982 to 2004, Gary Andersen was an NFL kicker, racking up All-Pro selections, Pro Bowl selections and plenty other accolades — including in 1998, becoming the first NFL kicker to convert every field goal and extra point in a regular season.
Andersen was the first South African to appear in an NFL regular season game. Most of his career was spent with the Steelers and Vikings, but he finished it out with the Titans at age 45 in 2004.
Andersen is third in games played (353), points scored (2,434) and field goals made (538), and he is the Steelers' all-time leading scorer at 1,343 points.
MORE: Ranking the 19 greatest Steelers players of all time
7. Ben Agajanian, K (45)
- Birthday: Aug. 28, 1919
- Final Season: 1964
- Teams: Hollywood Bears (1942, 1946), San Diego Bombers (1943), Hollywood Rangers (1944), Philadelphia Eagles (1945), Pittsburgh Steelers (1945), Los Angeles Dons (1947-48), New York Giants (1949, 1954-57), Los Angeles Rams (1953), Los Angeles Chargers (1960), Dallas Texans (1961), Green Bay Packers (1961), Oakland Raiders (1962), San Diego Chargers (1964)
- Career Stats: 129 games, 104 FGM, 343 XPM,
- Awards/Accolades: 2-time NFL champion (1956, 1961)
Ben Agajanian played kicker in the NFL, AAFC and AFL for over two decades. Nicknamed "The Toeless Wonder" because he had toes amputated, Agajanian also served in the Air Force in World War II.
Agajanian was the third-ever known kicking specialist. He won a pair of NFL titles with the Giants and Packers.
Agajanian remains the last Packer to wear No. 3. He retired at age 45 after kicking for the Chargers in 1964, and he then became a kicking coach for the Cowboys.
MORE: Ranking the 17 greatest Packers players of all time
8. Bobby Marshall, DE (45)
- Birthday: Mar. 12, 1880
- Final Season: 1925
- Teams: Minneapolis Marines (1913-17, 1919, 1927), Rock Island Independents (1919-20), Duluth Kelleys (1925)
- Career Stats: N/A
- Awards/Accolades: N/A
Bobby Marshall played for the 1925 Duluth Kelleys, and at the time, he was 45 years old. However, Marshall also competed in baseball, track, boxing, ice hockey and wrestling.
Marshall was the first player with college football experience to play for the pre-NFL Minneapolis Marines, and in 1920, he became the first African American athlete to play in an American Professional Football Association, which is now the National Football League.
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9. John Nesser, OL (45)
- Birthday: Apr. 25, 1876
- Final Season: 1921
- Teams: Columbus Panhandles
- Career Stats: N/A
- Awards/Accolades: N/A
John Nesser was born in Germany, then played in the "Ohio League" and early NFL for the Columbus Panhandles.
Nesser primarily played quarterback, but also on the offensive line. When he played for Columbus at age 45, he was temporarily the oldest player in NFL history.
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10. Vinny Testaverde, QB (44)
- Birthday: Nov. 13, 1963
- Final Season: 2007
- Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987-92), Cleveland Browns (1993-95), Baltimore Ravens (1996-97), New York Jets (1998–2003, 2005), Dallas Cowboys (2004), New England Patriots (2006), Carolina Panthers (2007)
- Career Stats: 233 games, 46,233 passing yards, 275 passing TDs, 267 INTs, 75.0 rating
- Awards/Accolades: 2-time Pro Bowl (1996, 1998)
Vinny Testaverde went from Heisman Trophy winner and national champion with Miami in college, to longtime NFL quarterback as a member of seven franchises. The No. 1 pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, Testeverde found the most success with the Jets.
Testeverde played 21 NFL seasons from 1987 to 2007, finishing in the top 10 for most career passing statistics, such as sixth in career passing yardage, seventh in career touchdown passes and sixth in career completions.
While Testeverde enjoyed a long NFL career, he's also known for holding the league record for losses as a starting quarterback (123) and for throwing 35 interceptions in his second season for the Bucs.
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11. Matt Bryant, K (44)
- Birthday: May 29, 1975
- Final Season: 2019
- Teams: New York Giants (2002-03), Dallas Cowboys (2004), Indianapolis Colts (2004), Miami Dolphins (2004), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005-08), Atlanta Falcons (2009-19)
- Career Stats: 241 games, 397 FGM, 567 XPM
- Awards/Accolades: 1-time Pro Bowl
Matt Bryant went from undrafted free agent and AFL player, to NFL veteran who spent a decade in a Falcons uniform. In 2016, he was a Pro Bowler for Atlanta.
Bryant's final season came in 2019, when he was 44 years old and one of the oldest players in league history.
He holds Falcons franchise records for points (1,168), extra-points made (386) and field goals made (386).
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12. Eddie Murray, K (44)
- Birthday: Aug. 29, 1956
- Final Season: 1997
- Teams: Detroit Lions (1980-91, 1999), Kansas City Chiefs (1992), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1992), Dallas Cowboys (1993, 1999), Philadelphia Eagles (1994), Washington Redskins (1995, 2000), Minnesota Vikings (1997)
- Career Stats: 250 games, 352 FGM, 538 XPM, 1,594 points
- Awards/Accolades: 1-time Super Bowl champion, 1-time First-team All-Pro, 3-time Second-team All-Pro, 2-time Pro Bowl
Not to be confused with the Baseball Hall of Famer, Eddie Murray was a Canadian kicker in the NFL, and he found a ton of success on team and individual levels.
Murray had plenty of achievements, from making the longest field goal in Lions history (54 yards) at the time in 1983, tying an NFL record for the highest field goal accuracy in a season at the time (95.24%), winning a Super Bowl with the Cowboys and more.
At age 44, Murray kicked for Washington in the 2000 season — and his 250 career NFL games set the record for a Canadian-born player before it was later broken.
MORE: Ranking the 18 greatest Cowboys players of all time
13. Steve DeBerg, QB (44)
- Birthday: Jan. 19, 1954
- Final Season: 1998
- Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1977), San Francisco 49ers (1977-80), Denver Broncos (1981-83), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984-87, 1992-93), Kansas City Chiefs (1988-91), Miami Dolphins (1993), Atlanta Falcons (1998)
- Career Stats: 206 games, 34,241 passing yards, 196 passing TDs, 204 INTs, 74.2 rating
- Awards/Accolades: N/A
Steve DeBerg was tossing passes in the NFL from 1977, with the Cowboys, to 1998, with the Falcons. He enjoyed an 18-year career, still racking up some numbers despite primarily being a backup.
Known as one of the best play-action quarterbacks ever, most of DeBer's starting experience came with the Chiefs. In 1990, he threw for 3,444 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions for Kansas City.
In 1998, DeBer had been retired for a few years, but made a comeback at age 44 with the Falcons to be a backup. He became the oldest quarterback in NFL history (until later being surpassed by Tom Brady) when entering a game on Oct. 25, 1998.
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14. Warren Moon, QB (44)
- Birthday: Nov. 18, 1956
- Final Season: 2000
- Teams: Houston Oilers (1984-93), Minnesota Vikings (1994-96), Seattle Seahawks (1997-98), Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)
- Career Stats:
- Awards/Accolades: 1990 Offensive Player of the Year, 1989 NFL Man of the Year, 1-time Second-team All-Pro, 9-time Pro Bowl
Warren Moon may be the best undrafted player in NFL history. He was not selected in the 1978 draft, then went on to become the only player to be inducted in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
While Moon also played extensively in the CFL, he was the NFL's OPOY by 1990 by leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. On two occasions, Moon led the league in passing yards.
He didn't win a Super Bowl, but Moon did win five consecutive Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982 in the CFL. Moon's final season was in 2000 as a member of the Chiefs.
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