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If Aaron Rodgers completes one more pass than he did last season (zero), then he’ll become the 10th quarterback in NFL history to throw a pass during their age-41 season.
Unfortunately for Aaron Rodgers and Jets fans, however, outside of the exception that proves the rule that is Tom Brady, history suggests the future Hall of Famer could be in for tough sledding next season.
While all of the names on the list of 41-year-old QBs are respectable if not Hall of Famers, the statistics behind those names in their age-41 seasons are far from pretty.
Thus far, the nine quarterbacks to play in their age-41 season are Brady, Warren Moon, Vinny Testaverde, Brett Favre, Doug Flutie, George Blanda, Earl Morral, Drew Brees, and Mark Brunell.
Moon had a solid age-41 season in 1997 with the Seattle Seahawks, as he was named to the Pro Bowl. Other than that, however, the returns are grim, as noted by the New York Post.
“In New York, they’ve gone all-in on Aaron,” Moon told The Post. “It’s unfortunate he had that injury, but he seems to be moving around really well in all the tapes I’ve seen of him. He has the talent around him to do it. Having familiarity with an offensive coordinator [Nathaniel Hackett] helps, too. It’s all there for him. It’s just a matter of how healthy he is and how healthy he stays. We’ll see what happens.”
Testaverde, with the Cowboys, tossed a league-leading 20 interceptions. Brees, while leading the Saints to the playoffs, was clearly washed up and retired the next year. Brett Favre was only able to lead the Vikings to a 4-7 record before being knocked out for the season with an injury.
From there, Flutie, Blanda, Morrall, and Brunell weren’t even on the field, as they each had less than 350 attempts, with Blanda, Morrall, and Brunell all being below 50.