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The legendary Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback carries on a centuries-old legacy of football players battling through their mid-40s.
Tom Brady has been the NFL’s resident geriatrician for so long that it seems difficult to remember he was ever young.
However, Brady’s longevity is no longer an oddity — it’s now record-breaking. He is the oldest non-kicker to have played in an NFL game in the league’s modern era.
After announcing the legendary signal caller’s retirement after 23 unforgettable seasons with the patriots And privateerit’s worth taking stock of how rare his stamina is in a sport that has ousted some of its most talented players from the game in less than a decade.
Brady ranks among the oldest players in NFL history at the end of the 2022 season.
10. Steve DeBerg, quarterback, 1998 Falcons (44 years, 342 days)
A journeyman who saw action for six teams over a two-decade span, DeBerg made an eight-game comeback and a start for a hawks Team that would eventually win the NFC title.
9. Ben Agajanian, kicker, 1964 Chargers (45 years 72 days)
Agajanian has the odd distinction of having played in each of professional football’s big three leagues: the All-America Football Conference (for the Los Angeles Dons), the NFL, and the AFL, where he ended his career.
8. Tom Brady, quarterback, 2022 Buccaneers (45 years, 166 days)
Still an exceptional player on the cusp of his 46-year season, Brady threw 25 touchdown passes and led his team to a division title before bowing out in the wild card round against the Cowboys.
7. Gary Anderson, kicker, Titans 2004 (45 years 170 days)
The South African native was selected for the All-1980s Hall of Fame And All-1990s team, well into the 21st century, at 44 years of age ranked among the top 10 scoring kickers in the league.
6. John Nesser, guard tackle, 1921 Columbus Panhandles (45 years 223 days)
Nesser is part of a famous early 20th-century football family about whom Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne once said: “Getting hit by a Nesser is like falling off a moving train.”
5. Bobby Marshall, late, 1925 Duluth Kelleys (45 years, 234 days)
Born in 1880, Marshall was the first black football player in the Big Ten and is inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
4. John Carney, Kicker, Saints 2010 (46 years, 173 days)
A Pro Bowler for those Charger 1994 and the Giants In 2008, Carney won the one Super Bowl ring saints in his penultimate season.
3. Adam Vinatieri, kicker, Colts 2019 (46 years, 338 days)
He eventually faltered, scoring just 17 of his 25 field goals in his final season, but Brady’s former New England teammate’s reputation as one of the greatest kickers in history was sealed long before his retirement.
2. Morten Andersen, Kicker, Falcons 2007 (47 years, 133 days)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest kickers of all time, Andersen won seven Pro Bowls with the Saints and Falcons and is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1. George Blanda, kicker, 1975 Raiders (48 years 109 days)
Blanda, one of the most iconic timeless wonders in sports history, retired after his 31-year season with the bears in 1958… and then came back to play for another 16 years and received All-Pro applause from The sports news still 1973.
Note: Special thanks to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for research support of this article.
