The NFL is a rough, violent game. The average career length in the modern NFL is just 3.3 years in the league. This is why it’s so impressive to see these NFL legends play so deep into their 40s. How many more names will we see join the ranks of the league’s oldest players in history?
Age: 48 years, 109 days
Teams: Chicago Bears, Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders
Fun fact: Blanda appeared in commercials for Schaefer beer, Kellogg’s cereal, and was an official Chrysler spokesman.
Age: 47 years, 133 days
Teams: New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings
Fun fact: Anderson wanted to play until he turned 50. He went unsigned during the 2008 season, retiring two days after he would have surpassed Blanda had a team offered Anderson a contract.
Age: 46 years, 173 days
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants
Fun fact: When the Saints released him in 2009, Carney was the last active NFLer to have played in the 80s.
Age: 45 years, 170 days
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans
Fun fact: Upon his retirement, Anderson was the last active NFLer to have played for Chuck Noll, and was the last active player who was born in the 1950s. He also commuted from Canada when he joined the Titans.
Age: 45 years, 166 days
Teams: New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fun fact: He lost three Super Bowls.
Age: 45 years, 72 days
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Dons, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Texans, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers
Fun fact: He had four of his toes amputated.
Age: 44 years, 342 days
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons
Fun fact: He retired in 1993 only to come back in 1998 to join the Atlanta Falcons, who made the Super Bowl that season.
Age: 44 years, 117 days
Teams: Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington, Minnesota Vikings
Fun fact: His Canadian high school didn’t offer football, so he played soccer, cricket, and rugby, and ran track.
Age: 44 years, 47 days
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers
Fun fact: He had 123 losses as a starting QB.
Age: 44 years, 8 days
Teams: Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs
Fun fact: He’s a member of both the Canadian and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
