10 oldest active NFL players in the league, right now

Age: 38
Birthday: Aug. 13, 1982
Rookie season: 2006

Punters don’t take nearly as much physical punishment as their teammates. Unsurprisingly, we’ll meet three of them on this list.

First up, Sam Koch, who has spent his entire pro career with the Baltimore Ravens. Koch’s apex came in the 2012 campaign, when he made the Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl with the Ravens.

Age: 38
Birthday: Aug. 11, 1982
Rookie season: 2004

Andy Lee made three Pro Bowls during his first 11 years in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and established himself as one of the top punters of all time.

In 2018, at age 36, he paced the NFL with a 48.6 yards per punt average as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. The 38-year-old is currently a free agent, but given his track record it’s easy to imagine some club giving him a look ahead of the 2021 season.

Age: 38
Birthday: May 6, 1982
Rookie season: 2005

If there is such a thing as royal punting lineage, Dustin Colquitt has it.

His father, Craig, was an NFL punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ‘70s. His brother Britton and uncle Jimmy have also punted at the highest level. Even given that storied family history, Dustin has distinguished himself, making a pair of Pro Bowls in his initial 15 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and winning a Super Bowl in 2019.

Age: 39
Birthday: March 2, 1982
Rookie season: 2005

Since being selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft, kicker Mike Nugent has booted field goals and extra points for seven different franchises over 16 seasons.

Most recently, he played four games with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 and nailed seven of eight field goal attempts, increasing the likelihood he’ll find employment at some point this coming season.

Age: 39
Birthday: March 2, 1982
Rookie season: 2004

Ben Roethlisberger has made six Pro Bowls. He’s won a pair of Super Bowls. He’s twice led the league in passing yards. That’s a Hall of Fame resume by any standard, but Big Ben isn’t done yet.

The 39-year-old will return for another season behind center with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. He played 2020 in the wake of arm surgery and managed to throw for 3,803 yards and 33 TDs.

An even-better late-career encore isn’t out of the question.

Age: 39
Birthday: Jan. 22, 1982
Rookie season: 2004

Playing deep into your 40s as a punter, kicker or even a QB is one thing. Doing it as a hit-absorbing offensive tackle is quite another.

So tip your helmet to Jason Peters, who has made nine Pro Bowl appearances over the course of his 17-year NFL career.

In 2020, Peters played eight games with the Philadelphia Eagles and is currently a free agent. Long in the tooth though he may be, he’d be a viable, savvy-veteran option for multiple teams.

Age: 39
Birthday: Dec. 12, 1981
Rookie season: 2006

A second-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006, offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth has made four Pro Bowls with Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Rams.

The 39-year-old is under contract with Los Angeles through 2022, meaning he could continue effectively plying his trade in the NFL trenches well beyond his 40th birthday.

Age: 39
Birthday: Aug. 17, 1981
Rookie season: 2004

The position of longsnapper has mostly been set in Detroit since the Lions drafted Don Muhlbach in 2004.

Muhlbach has played all 16 games in every season since 2006, with the exception of 2009 (when he played in 15 games).

The 39-year-old is currently a free agent, meaning his under-the-radar iron-man run with the Lions could be coming to an end...though his NFL stint may keep rolling.

Age: 40
Birthday: March 13, 1981
Rookie season: 2005

Speaking of longsnappers with staying power, L.P. Ladouceur has appeared in every single Dallas Cowboys contest since his rookie campaign in 2005.

He holds the record for most consecutive games played by an NFL longsnapper and the most games played by a Canadian-born NFLer.

Now on the other side of 40, he’s a free agent with an uncertain NFL future.
But given that impressive resume, someone (be it Dallas or another squad) ought to see if he’s got a few more snaps left in him.

Age: 43
Birthday: Aug. 3, 1977
Rookie season: 2000

Who is the greatest quarterback of all-time? If you don’t think Tom Brady settled that question once and for all by leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory in Super Bowl LV, you aren’t paying attention.

The career leader in passing yards, completions, touchdown passes and multiple other statistical categories, Brady has appeared in 10 Super Bowls and won seven of them.

By winning Super Bowl MVP with the Bucs (and becoming the only player to ever win the prize with two different teams), he proved he is much more than a product of Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots dynasty.

He is, by any measure (greatness, clutch performance, longevity) the GOAT...and the oldest active player in the NFL right now.