You’ve probably heard people joke that Tom Brady was "ancient" when he finally hung up his cleats at 45. Honestly, in a sport where the average career lasts about three years, playing into your mid-40s feels like a glitch in the Matrix. But if you think Brady holds the crown for longevity, you’re actually a few years off.
George Blanda is the oldest person to play in the NFL.
He didn't just play; he lived several different football lives. When Blanda finally retired in August 1976, he was 48 years and 10 months old. Think about that for a second. He was nearly 50, suiting up for the Oakland Raiders and staring down guys who weren't even born when he started his professional career. It’s wild.
Most modern fans know the big names like Adam Vinatieri or Morten Andersen, the kickers who stuck around forever. But Blanda was a different breed. He was a quarterback and a kicker. He threw 236 touchdowns and kicked 335 field goals. He's a Hall of Famer who spanned four different decades of football.
The Man Who Refused to Quit: George Blanda's 26-Season Saga
George Blanda’s career is basically a history lesson of the NFL itself. He started in 1949 with the Chicago Bears. Back then, players were making peanuts. Legend has it George Halas, the Bears' owner, was so cheap that Blanda once complained the man wouldn't even buy him a kicking shoe.
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He actually retired for the first time in 1959. He was "only" 31. He felt the Bears were only using him as a kicker, and he wanted to play quarterback. Most people’s stories would end there.
Then the AFL launched in 1960.
Blanda signed with the Houston Oilers, and suddenly, the "NFL reject" was the MVP of a new league. He led the Oilers to two championships. He threw 36 touchdowns in a single season (1961), a record that stood until Dan Marino broke it decades later.
By the time he joined the Oakland Raiders in 1967, he was already 40. Most teams wanted him as a backup QB and a reliable leg. What they got was "The Grand Old Man." In 1970, at age 43, he had a five-game stretch that remains the stuff of legend. He kept coming off the bench to throw late touchdowns or kick game-winning field goals. He was named the AP Male Athlete of the Year—at an age when most of his peers were ten years into their coaching or broadcasting careers.
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Who Else Is on the "Old Men of Football" Mount Rushmore?
While Blanda is the undisputed king, a few others have pushed the boundaries of what the human body should be able to do on a football field.
- Morten Andersen (47): "The Great Dane" played 25 seasons. He retired in 2008 as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer (a record later broken by Vinatieri). He played his final game for the Atlanta Falcons at 47. Unlike Blanda, who was still taking snaps at QB in his 40s, Andersen was strictly a specialist.
- Adam Vinatieri (47): The man with the most ice-cold veins in league history. He played until 2019. If his knee hadn't finally given out, he probably would have tried to catch Blanda.
- John Carney (46): Carney was so reliable that the New Orleans Saints signed him out of "retirement" multiple times. He finally called it quits in 2010.
- Ben Agajanian (45): This is a name most casual fans don't know. He was known as "The Toeless Wonder" because he lost four toes on his kicking foot in a work accident. He played for roughly a dozen teams and retired in 1964.
Why Do These Guys Last So Long?
It’s almost always the kickers.
The physical toll on a kicker is significantly lower than a linebacker or a wide receiver. They aren't getting hit on every play—or at least they shouldn't be. But even for a kicker, the mental pressure is immense. You have one job. If you miss, you're fired. To do that at 47 or 48 requires a level of focus that most people can't maintain for a week, let alone 26 years.
Blanda was the outlier because he was still getting hit. Even though he was primarily a kicker in his final years with the Raiders, he was the backup quarterback. He was in the dirt. He was in the huddle.
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The Modern Era: Is Tom Brady the Last of the Mohicans?
Tom Brady made it to 45. He was the oldest starting quarterback to ever play. That’s a massive distinction. While Blanda was 48, he wasn't starting under center every Sunday in his final years.
Currently, in 2026, we see the trend shifting. Aaron Rodgers is still slingin' it at 42, but the game is faster and more violent than it was in the 70s. The "Blanda Mark" of 48 feels increasingly like a record that will never be broken.
To beat Blanda, a player today would have to stay healthy, keep their leg strength (or arm talent), and—most importantly—keep the desire to live out of a suitcase and attend training camps for nearly three decades.
Actionable Insights for Football History Buffs
If you want to dive deeper into the "Old Guard" of the NFL, here is how you can verify these stats and see the film for yourself:
- Check the Pro Football Hall of Fame Records: They maintain the official lists of oldest starters versus oldest active players. The distinction matters when you're arguing at a bar.
- Watch the 1970 Raiders Season Highlights: Look for George Blanda’s "Miracle" run. It’s some of the most improbable footage in sports history.
- Monitor the Kicker Market: Keep an eye on guys like Justin Tucker or Harrison Butker. If anyone is going to challenge the age records in the next decade, it will be a specialist who avoids major surgery.
The reality is that George Blanda played in an era of cigarettes and black-and-white TV, yet his record remains untouchable in the era of hyper-recovery and $100 million training facilities. He’s the ultimate proof that sometimes, grit simply outlasts youth.