Who Has Played the Most Years in the NFL?
Contents
Who has played the most years in the NFL? This is a question that many football fans have been wondering. We took a look at the data to find out.
Brett Favre
Brett Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL, the most of any player in the history of the league. He played for three teams: the Green Bay Packers, the New York Jets, and the Minnesota Vikings. He was a Pro Bowl player 11 times and was named the NFC Player of the Year four times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
20 seasons
Brett Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL, the most of any player in league history. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 2007, the New York Jets in 2008, and the Minnesota Vikings from 2009 to 2010.
Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft, but was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a first-round pick the next year. He spent his first three seasons as a backup to hall of famer Don Majkowski, but took over as the starter in 1992 after an injury to Majkowski. From 1992 to 2007, he started every game for the Packers, earning 11 Pro Bowl selections and leading the team to a victory in Super Bowl XXXI. In 2008, he was traded to the New York Jets, where he spent one season before retiring. He came out of retirement in 2009 to join the Minnesota Vikings, but was again sidelined by injuries and did not play much. He retired for good after that season.
Jerry Rice
Wide receiver Jerry Rice played 20 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco ers. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.
20 seasons
Jerry Rice is a former American football wide receiver who played 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He is considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.
San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played his entire 20-year career with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, and often called the greatest player in NFL history.
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen, nicknamed “The Great Dane,” is a retired American football kicker who played 25 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,544 points scored. He played for four different teams, most notably the New Orleans Saints with whom he played the majority of his career.
25 seasons
Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1960), nicknamed “The Great Dane”, is a former American football kicker who played for five teams in a career spanning 25 seasons.
Andersen is the all-time leading scorer in NFL history with 2,544 points, and holds the NFL records for most field goals made (565) and most games played by a position player (382). He is also the only kicker to score more than 1,000 points with two different teams. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history.
Andersen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and moved to the United States as a child. He played high school football for Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana and college football for Michigan State University.
Andersen began his professional career with the New Orleans Saints in 1982. He played for the Saints for 13 seasons before being released in 1995. He subsequently played for the Atlanta Falcons (1995–2000), New York Giants (2001), Kansas City Chiefs (2002–2003) and Minnesota Vikings (2004).
Andersen was selected to eight Pro Bowls and was named First-team All-Pro four times. He was also named Second-team All-Pro three times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
New Orleans Saints
Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1960), nicknamed “The Great Dane,” is a former American football kicker who played 25 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,544 points. He holds the NFL records for most field goals made (565) and attempted (709). Anderson played college football at Michigan State University from 1978–1981.
He began his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints in 1982. He had several stints with the Saints before leaving for the Atlanta Falcons in 1995. After 11 successful seasons in Atlanta, he rejoined the Saints in 2006 and remained with the team until his retirement following the 2008 season. In his final two seasons, he was teammates with fellow placekicker John Carney. At the time of his retirement, he was tied for first place on the NFL’s career scoring list with Gary Anderson. Upon retiring from playing football, he became a sports analyst on Fox Sports Radio and SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Andersen was inducted into boththe Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 andthe Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri is an American football placekicker who has played for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. Adam Vinatieri has played for a total of 24 years in the NFL, which is the most of any player.
24 seasons
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American football placekicker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He has played in five Super Bowls: four with the New England Patriots and one with the Colts. With the Patriots, he won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX. Vinatieri is one of only two players in NFL history to have kicked two game-winning field goals in the final seconds of regulation of an NFL playoff game, joining Roger Staubach as the only other such player. In addition, Vinatieri shares the NFL record for most overtime field goals made with Jason Elam, Greg Zuerlein and Sebastian Janikowski (5). He holds several long-standing scoring records; he currently ranks sixth all-time in NFL history with 2,377 points.
Indianapolis Colts
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He has played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons, serving as a member of six teams. He played collegiately at South Dakota State University, and was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1996.
Vinatieri has earned four Super Bowl rings, three with the Patriots and one with the Colts, and has been selected to three Pro Bowls. He holds numerous NFL kicking records, including most points scored (2,673), most consecutive field goals made (44), most field goals made in a single season (42), most seasons with 100 or more points (21), most game-winning field goals (56), and most overtime field goals made (12). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest kickers of all time.
Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson played in the NFL for 20 seasons, the most of any player in history. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1987 to 1995, the San Francisco 49ers from 1996 to 2002, and the Minnesota Vikings from 2003 to 2004. Anderson is the only player to have played in four different decades and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
23 seasons
Gary Anderson played in the NFL for 23 seasons, the most of any player in league history. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974 to 1987, and then for the San Francisco 49ers from 1988 to 1996. Anderson was a Pro Bowl selection in 1981 and 1984, and was named First-Team All-Pro in 1987. He retired after the 1996 season with 2,434 career points, which is still the NFL record.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had many great players throughout their history, but one player stands out above the rest – Gary Anderson. Anderson played for the Steelers for 19 years, from 1974 to 1993. During that time, he appeared in more games than any other player in franchise history. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Steelers history, with 1,343 points. Anderson is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his number 34 is retired by the Steelers.