With the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady, some football fans are wondering who will replace him as the NFL’s oldest player: that accolade now goes to Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, who reached his forties a few weeks ago.
Born Aug. 3, 1977, Brady, 44, was the senior on the Goodell circuit last season and, ironically, the athlete taking his place in that title is part of the roster that eliminated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in National Association Semi-Final.
Whitworth could also get a nice gift for his 40th birthday – which he celebrated on December 12 – with a Super Bowl victory on February 13. The final will also have a special flavor for this 6’7″ and 330 lb behemoth: his rivals will be the Cincinnati Bengals, the organization that drafted him in 2006 and for which he played until 2016 inclusively.
Other older players
On the quarterback side, the oldest in the NFL is now Ryan Fitzpatrick (Washington), who celebrated 39 candles on November 24. Among the league’s 40-year-olds, besides Whitworth, only one other athlete has at least four decades on the clock, namely Chicago Bears offensive lineman Jason Peters.
Before Brady, former kicker Adam Vinatieri was the league’s oldest footballer. He retired on May 26 at the age of 48. Having acted as a quarterback and kicking specialist, George Blanda is the one who played at the oldest age, 48 years and 109 days.
-Within the other major sports in the United States, the oldest are Zdeno Chara (National Hockey League, 44 years old), Udonis Haslem (NBA, 41 years old) and Albert Pujols (major baseball, 42 years old).
