The Oldest NFL Player of All Time - Updated 2024

A small number of NFL players have been able to battle Father Time and play professional football into their 40s. The oldest NFL player ever even came close to approaching his 50th birthday while an active member of the league. 

Ten players in NFL history have been part of a roster at age 45 or older. The oldest NFL players ever were mostly quarterbacks and kickers, though an offensive lineman and a tight end made their way into the top 10.

The Oldest Active Football Player 

Now that Tom Brady has retired and is contemplating the next phase of his life, the oldest player in the NFL is another all-time great quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is still active, based on the partial quarter he played for the New York Jets in the season opener. Rodgers tore his Achilles in that game, and he could come back at the end of the 2023 season or the start of the 2024 season. Rodgers will be the league’s lone 40-year-old player on December 5, and he seems likely to play as a 41-year-old as well.

The Oldest NFL player in league history

George Blanda was the oldest NFL player in league history, playing until he reached 48 years old. Blanda was a dual threat, playing quarterback and kicker at the same time. The Oakland Raiders legend was one of the most unique players that the NFL has ever seen. His professional career started with the Chicago Bears in 1949 and his final year in 1975. He started at quarterback for two years with the Bears (153-54). He also served as a starting quarterback for the Houston Oilers from 1960 through 1966. He was a backup quarterback and placekicker  with the Raiders from 1967 through 1975.

Who is the oldest active player in the NFL other than Aaron Rodgers? 

After Rodgers, the second-oldest player in the NFL is Chicago Bears backup tight end Marcedes Lewis. The 39-year-old Lewis was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006 and played with that team through 2017. He played with the Green Bay Packers from 2018 through 2022 and moved on to the Bears in 2023.

Here are the 5 oldest players in the league:

1. Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, 39, Dec. 2, 1983
2. Bears TE Marcedes Lewis, 39, May 19, 1984
3. Cardinals K Matt Prater, 39, August 10, 1984
4. Titans K Nick Folk, 38, Nov. 5, 1984
5. Jets OL Duane Brown, 38, Aug. 30, 1985

10 Oldest Players In NFL History 

1) George Blanda – Quarterback / Kicker

The oldest player in the NFL ever at 48 years old, Blanda had one of the most interesting careers in the history of professional sports, let alone the NFL. Blanda played 26 seasons, starting his career with the Chicago Bears in 1949 and finally calling it quits after going to the AFC Championship Game with the Oakland Raiders in the 1975 season. 

Blanda threw for 26,920 yards as an NFL quarterback and made 335 field goals. In 1970, a 43-year-old Blanda was named the AP Athlete of the Year for bringing the Raiders to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance with clutch throws and field goals. Blanda was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. Nearly five decades after his retirement, Blanda still owns the record for being the oldest NFL player of all time. 

2) Morten Andersen – Kicker

Had Andersen been able to hang on for one more year, he would’ve been the oldest NFL player ever. The kicker from Denmark played his last game on Dec. 30, 2007 at 47 years, four months and 11 days old. Andersen went out in style, going five-for-five on extra points and nailing all three of his field goal attempts in his final game.

Andersen started his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints in 1982. After spending 13 years in the Big Easy, Andersen played for four different franchises. He reached the Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons in the 1998 season. Andersen’s 565 field goals made and 2,544 points are good for second in NFL history. He was part of the 2017 Hall of Fame class.

3) John Carney – Kicker

One of the longest careers in NFL history almost never happened when Carney went undrafted out of Notre Dame and didn’t play a single game in the 1987 season. Carney got into five games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1989-1989. He finally established himself with the Chargers in 1990 and remained in the league until he was 46 years old in 2010.

Carney hasn’t been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he achieved plenty during his two-plus decades in the NFL. Carney was a two-time Pro Bowl kicker and part of the 2009 New Orleans Saints team that won the Super Bowl. He’s also a member of the Saints Hall of Fame.

4) Adam Vinatieri – Kicker

No kicker has made more memorable kicks in their NFL career than Vinatieri. Well before he played his last game at 46 years old, Vinatieri clinched multiple championships with his leg to go along with other game-winning field goals in the playoffs. Unlike most of the oldest players in NFL history, Vinatieri only spent time with two teams.

Vinatieri won three Super Bowls as a member of the New England Patriots and then another with the Indianapolis Colts. He owns the all-time record with 2,673 points and 599 field goals made. Vinatieri was a three-time First-Team All-Pro. He also holds the record for the oldest player to make a field goal of at least 50 yards, doing so at 46 years old.

Vinatieri is often credited with having made the most memorable field goal of all-time. He kicked a  45-yard field goal to force overtime in a blizzard for the New England Patriots in a playoff game against the Oakland Raiders on January 19, 2002.

"There was 8 inches of snow. It was the deepest snow we ever played in," Tennessee Titans coach and former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel said. 

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not given to hyperbole, so his assessment means a lot. "It's got to be the greatest kick of all time, certainly that I've seen. ... Adam came through for us with some enormous kicks."

Vinatieri followed up by kicking the game-winner in overtime.

5) Tom Brady - Quarterback

Brady defied the odds longer than anyone could’ve predicted. He could’ve left the Patriots in 2020 and retired as the greatest quarterback of all time, but he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and further cemented his spot as the best football player in history.

Brady set countless records into his mid-40s. A five-time Super Bowl MVP, Brady is the oldest player to win the award at 43 years old. He has the most passing yards, completions, and touchdowns in NFL history. No one could’ve predicted that the 199th pick in the 2000 draft would have this type of career.

6) John Nesser – Offensive Line

Not only is Nesser the only offensive lineman on the list, but he retired first among the oldest NFL players ever. Born on April 25, 1876, Nesser only played two games with the Columbus Panhandles as a 45-year-old in 1921.

Nesser came from a football family. Before his brief stint with the Panhandles, Nesser and his five brothers were all part of the same team. John’s brother, Ted Nesser, and their father, Charles Nesser, were both members of the Panhandles at the same time during the 1921 season. 

7) Ben Agajanian – Kicker

No kicker on the list played in the NFL before Agajanian. Nineteen years before retiring at 45 years old with the San Diego Chargers, Agajanian made his NFL debut as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Agajanian ended his career in 1964 before the AFL-NFL merger, but he did win a championship with the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.

Agajanian led the NFL with 15 field goals made in 1947, and his field-goal percentage was the league’s best in both 1947 and 1949. He played for nine different franchises during his lengthy career. Agajanian remained a part of the NFL well after his playing career ended, spending 20 years as a special consultant for the Dallas Cowboys.

8) Gary Anderson – Kicker

Just like Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson was born outside of the United States, entered the NFL in 1982, and played as a kicker into his mid-40s. The native South African played his last game at 45 years old. Anderson played for five teams, spending the first 13 years of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s third all-time in points and field goals.

Anderson’s most memorable kick was one that he didn’t make. During the 1998 Minnesota Vikings’ 15-1 season, Anderson was perfect on field goals and extra points. With a chance to put Minnesota up 10 points late in the NFC Championship Game and all but guarantee the Vikings a spot in the Super Bowl, Anderson missed a 38-yard field goal. Minnesota went on to lose and is still in search of its first Super Bowl title. 

9) Bobby Marshall – Tight End

Of anyone who played their last game at 45 years old, Marshall was the only tight end. Marshall retired after the 1925 season, which ended more than nine months after his 45th birthday. Marshall didn’t make his debut in the league until he was 40 years old. He last played for the Duluth Kelleys.

Marshall’s accomplishments in professional sports go well beyond his ability to play football in his 40s. He was the first person of color to play a game in the American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL. Marshall also managed to play professional baseball and professional hockey for an independent team.

10) Steve DeBerg – Quarterback

The only quarterback who ranks among the 10 oldest NFL players ever and isn’t a current or future Hall of Famer, DeBerg managed to hang around the league for parts of two decades. DeBerg ended the 1998 regular season as a 44-year-old on the Atlanta Falcons roster but celebrated his 45th birthday shortly before Atlanta lost in the 1999 Super Bowl.

The Dallas Cowboys drafted DeBerg in 1977, though he didn’t play his first game until 1978 when he was on the San Francisco 49ers roster. DeBerg went 53-86-1 in his career as a starter, going 3-23 in his first two seasons. He bounced around in Denver, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Miami until it appeared that his career was over in 1993. After four years out of the league, DeBerg came back for one more season in Atlanta.

Longevity in the NFL

If a football player wants to finish his career as one of the oldest in NFL history, he probably has to be a quarterback or a kicker. Those are the positions that have the most longevity.

All players would like to be on winning teams that go to the Super Bowl and celebrate championships. But what they really want is to stay healthy and remain employed so they can get paid year after year. High-quality kickers would seem to have the best chance of lasting well into their 40s in the NFL.