Who Is The Oldest Nfl Player Of All Time?
The answer to who is the oldest NFL player of all time is difficult to determine. The NFL does not keep official records of players’ ages, so we must rely on other sources.
George Blanda
George Blanda was an American football quarterback and placekicker who played 26 seasons in the National Football League. Blanda retired from pro football in 1976 at the age of 48, having played in more games and thrown more passes than any other player in NFL history at that time.
Born in 1927
George Blanda was born on December 27, 1927, in Youngwood, Pennsylvania. He was the quarterback for the University of Kentucky Wildcats football team from 1947 to 1949. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1950 NFL Draft. He played for the Bears from 1950 to 1958. He then played for the Houston Oilers from 1960 to 1966. He retired from professional football in 1975 after playing for the Oakland Raiders.
Played for the Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers, and Oakland Raiders
George Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football quarterback and placekicker who played 26 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), principally with the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers. He retired from pro football in 1976 at the age of 48, having played more games than anyone else in NFL history at that time.
Retired in 1975
George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football quarterback and placekicker who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He spent 26 seasons with the NFL, including 10 seasons with the Houston Oilers. Blanda retired from pro football in 1975, at the age of 48.
Blanda played for 26 seasons with Various teams, setting numerous records along the way. He was one of only two players to play in four different decades, and he holds the record for most extra points made. He is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1962) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons. He is the all-time leading scorer among NFL kicking specialists and is the only kicker in NFL history to score more than 2,000 points. Andersen ranks as the most accurate kicker in NFL history, having made 85.4 percent of his field goal attempts.
Born in 1952
Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1952), nicknamed “The Great Dane,” is a Danish former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons. He is currently the NFL’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,544 points. Andersen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and moved to the United States as a child. He played college football for Michigan State University from 1974 to 1977. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and played for them for 13 seasons from 1982 to 1994. He had six seasons with more than 100 points scored, including a career-high 126 points in 1985 and 1995. He holds the NFL records for most field goals made in a career (565) and most games played by a position player (382).
Andersen became a free agent after the 1994 season and signed with the Atlanta Falcons, where he played for 11 seasons from 1995 to 2006. In 2000, he helped lead the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII. In his second stint with Atlanta, he kicked two game-winning field goals in overtime victories during the 2006 season: one on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 and another against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12. Andersen was released by Atlanta on December 12, 2006 after making several costly misses late in games that season. After being out of football for over two months during the 2007 season, he signed with Minnesota Vikings on September 8 following an injury to their starting kicker Gary Anderson. Andersen played three seasons for Minnesota before he was released on November 15, 2010. On December 6 that year, he signed with Arizona Cardinals where he closed out his career after one season.
Played for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Kansas City Chiefs
Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1960), nicknamed “The Great Dane”, is a former American football placekicker who played for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League (NFL). He is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,544 points. His career lasted an astounding 25 years, from 1982 to 2007.
Retired in 2007
Morten Andersen (born August 13, 1960), nicknamed “The Great Dane”, is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons. He played for the New Orleans Saints from 1982 to 1994, Atlanta Falcons from 1995 to 2000, New York Giants in 2001, Kansas City Chiefs from 2002 to 2003, Minnesota Vikings in 2004, and Atlanta Falcons again from 2006 to 2007.
Andersen is the NFL’s all-time leading scorer at 2,544 points. He held the record for most field goals made in a career with565 from 1997 until 2013, when Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri surpassed him with his 566th field goal. He also held the record for most games played by an NFL player with382 until 2018. Andersen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Gary Anderson
When it comes to professional football, there are a lot of players who have had very successful careers. However, there is only one player who can lay claim to being the oldest player in NFL history, and that is Gary Anderson.
Born in 1959
Gary Anderson (born December 9, 1959) is a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, and was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1982 to 1994. Anderson is the oldest living former NFL player.
Played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans
Gary Anderson (born March 19, 1959) is a former professional American football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons, from 1982 to 2004. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans. In 1998, he became the first kicker in NFL history to score 100 points in a single season. Anderson holds several NFL records for placekicking, such as most points scored in a career (2,004), most field goals made in a career (565), and most seasons leading the league in scoring (8). His field goal percentage of 75.0% is tied with Cody Parkey for ninth-best all-time.
Anderson was born in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He played college football at Syracuse University. As a senior in 1981, he led the Syracuse Orangemen to an undefeated season and victory in the Sugar Bowl. The San Diego Chargers drafted Anderson in the seventh round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He was cut by the Chargers before the start of the regular season and then signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Anderson spent four seasons with Pittsburgh before being released following the 1985 NFL season. After being out of football for a year, he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings prior to the start of the 1986 season. Anderson spent eleven seasons with Minnesota before being released following the 1996 NFL season. He was then signed by the Tennessee Oilers/Titans prior to the 1997 season where he played six more seasons before retiring following 2002 NFL seas
Retired in 2004
Gary Anderson (born December 9, 1959) is a former American football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. After playing college football for the University of Illinois, he was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1982. Anderson played for the Patriots (1982–1989), Pittsburgh Steelers (1990–1994), Atlanta Falcons (1995–1996), San Francisco 49ers (1997), Philadelphia Eagles (1998–2002), Minnesota Vikings (2003–2004), and New York Jets (2005). He retired as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer at the time with 2,434 points. Anderson held the league’s records for most field goals made in a career until 2006 and most seasons played until 2011.
Anderson currently ranks 18th on the NFL’s all-time scoring list and 11th on the league’s all-time list for field goal percentage. He missed only one extra point attempt during his entire 23-year career. Anderson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility.
John Carney
John Carney is the oldest player in the NFL. He was born on May 5, 1969, in San Diego, California. He is currently 52 years old and is a placekicker for the New Orleans Saints.
Born in 1963
John Carney (born May 6, 1963) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1988.
Carney was a member of three Super Bowl-winning teams, and he ranks second all-time in NFL history for field goals made and third for points scored. He also served as the head coach of the XFL’s Birmingham Thunderbolts during the league’s only season in 2001.
Played for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New England Patriots
John Carney was born on December 5, 1961, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 1986 NFL Draft. Carney spent the majority of his career with the Saints, playing for them from 1986 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2005. He also played for the San Diego Chargers (1996-1999), Baltimore Ravens (2006), New York Jets (2007), and New England Patriots (2008). Carney retired from the NFL after the 2008 season with a total of 1,458 points, which ranked him second in NFL history behind only Morten Andersen.
Retired in 2010
John Carney (born May 12, 1963) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame, and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1987. He also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his career, he made 80.6 percent of his field goal attempts (356 out of 441), which is the fourth highest success rate in NFL history among kickers with at least 250 attempts.
Carney was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He attended Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, Maryland, and played football for the Notre Dame High School Shamrocks. As a senior in 1980, he was named All-Metro by The Baltimore Sun.
Carney enrolled at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 1982 to 1986. As a senior in 1986, he set school records with 21 field goals made and 56 points scored.
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri (born December 6, 1972) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history, and has been selected to four Pro Bowls.
Born in 1972
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota State, and was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1996. Vinatieri has played for three NFL teams: the Patriots (1996–2005), the Indianapolis Colts (2006–present), and the Baltimore Ravens (2009). With the Colts, he won Super Bowls XLI and XLIV over the Chicago Bears and the Saints respectively.
Vinatieri is widely considered to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history, and is currently the oldest active player in the league. He holds many kicking records, including most points scored (2,600), most career field goals made (582), most career playoff points scored (238), most field goals made in a single season (37) and most consecutive field goals made (44). He has been named to four All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls. He has also been voted as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Year four times.
Played for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts
Adam Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He has played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons, serving as a member of the New England Patriots from 1996 to 2005 and as a member of the Indianapolis Colts from 2006 to 2019. He is one of only two players in NFL history to have won four Super Bowls, and he is the oldest player in NFL history to score a point, having done so at the age of 46.
Active
As of the 2019 NFL season, Adam Vinatieri is the oldest active player in the league at 46 years old. He is also the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,378 points. Vinatieri has played in five Super Bowls, winning four of them.
