Who has had the longest NFL career in history? It’s a good question, with specialists mostly controlling the list.
However, some of the greatest quarterbacks in history are among those who have suited up the longest. The same can be said about the best wide receiver to ever take to an NFL field.
Below, we look at the longest NFL career in history — ranked from 10th to one.
10. Brett Favre, quarterback (tied)
- Games played: 302
- Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings
- Years active: 1991-2010
Favre had anything but an average NFL career. Here’s someone who found himself jettisoned from the Atlanta Falcons following his rookie season in 1991. It proved to be the biggest mistake the Falcons ever made, with Favre putting up record numbers in Green Bay.
From 1992-07 with the Packers, Favre earned nine Pro Bowl appearances. He earned three NFL MVP awards and led the organization to a Super Bowl title. Once all was said and done in Green Bay, Favre was the franchise leader in wins, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Not to be outdone, he earned Pro Bowl spots with the Jets and Vikings to close out his career. That included putting up 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns in Minnesota during the 2009 season.
Related: NFL QB Rankings
10. John Carney, kicker (tied)
- Game played: 302
- Teams: San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams
- Years active: 1998-2010
It was surprising that Carney, a member of Notre Dame’s all-time team, went undrafted in 1987. The Connecticut native proved all the skeptics wrong.
This included Carney earning two Pro Bowl honors, winning Super Bowl XLIV as a member of the New Orleans Saints, and finishing as the San Diego Chargers’ all-time leading scorer. All said, Carney connected on a whopping 82% of his field goals in a career that spanned from 1988-2010.
Related: 15 longest field goals in NFL history, including Super Bowls
9. Jerry Rice, wide receiver *longest NFL career for a wide receiver*
- Games played: 303
- Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
- Years active: 1985-2014
Rice’s first three NFL seasons would have made him a notable player (200 receptions, 3,575 yards, 40 touchdowns). However, the fact that this 13-time Pro Bowler starred over three decades as a wide receiver is just surreal. He even racked up 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns in his age-40 season with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2002.
Obviously, Rice’s claim to fame is his performance during a 16-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers. That included winning three Super Bowl championships and registering over 1,000 yards a whopping 12 times. Catching passes from the combination of Joe Montana and Steve Young, Rice finished his career as the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Related: Top 100 NFL players of 2024
8. Phil Dawson, kicker
- Games played: 305
- Teams: Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals
- Years active: 1999-2018
Already included in our list of oldest NFL players, Dawson was still going strong well into his mid-40s. Here’s a dude who suited up from 1999-2018. He’s the Browns’ all-time leader in field goals made and holds the 49ers’ single-season record for points and field goals.
A two-time All-Pro and one-time Pro Bowler, the success Dawson had over the course of his career is somewhat surprising. After all, he was a practice squad member of the Raiders and Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1998 — failing to suit up in a regular-season game for either team. Let that sink in for a second.
Related: Best kickers in NFL history
7. Jason Hanson, kicker
- Games played: 327
- Teams: Detroit Lions
- Years active: 1992-2012
The only player on this list to suit up for just one team, it’s not an overreaction to say that Hanson is among the top-10 players in Lions franchise history. As much as that says about Detroit’s futility, it’s equally impressive on the former kicker’s part.
How good was Hanson? He connected on 82% of his field goals during a brilliant 21-year career. He holds NFL records for most field goals of 40-plus yards (189), most consecutive field goals of 40-plus yards (24), most career games with one NFL team (327), and most game-winning field goals in overtime (nine). Enough said.
Related: Predicting NFL playoff teams and Super Bowl winner
6. Tom Brady, quarterback *longest NFL career for non-special teams player*
- Games played: 335
- Teams: New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Years active: 2000-2023
Forget about the average career length of an NFL player, Mr. Tom Brady has had multiple careers since entering the league as a sixth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2000. The numbers are eye-opening. A record seven Super Bowl titles. The all-time NFL leader in quarterback wins, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Over 700 career touchdowns, postseason included. A total of 15 Pro Bowl appearances and three NFL MVP awards. These are all legendary standards that only TB12 could set.
The NFL icon will go down as one of the true immortals of the sport for maintaining an elite level of play well into his 40s. He also decided to retire in 2023 while still one of the best at his position, instead of sticking around for a steep decline in his skills.
Related: Who is the highest-paid NFL coach? (Today and All-Time)
5. George Blanda, quarterback/kicker
- Games played: 340
- Teams: Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers, Baltimore Colts
- Years active: 1949-1958, 1960-1975
Now, this is just insane. A 12th-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 1949, Blanda actually suited up in the NFL in four different decades. He made various all-star teams as both a quarterback and kicker starting with the Houston Oilers in 1963 and concluding with the then-Oakland Raiders in 1967.
Blanda’s career accomplishments includes most passing touchdowns in a game (seven), most seasons played (26), most extra points (943), first player to score over 2,000 points and most points accounted for. Oh, and Blanda still boasts the single-season record for most interceptions thrown (42). Yes, that’s a thing.
Related: 2024 NFL power rankings: Evaluating all 32 teams
4. Jeff Feagles, punter
- Games played: 352
- Teams: New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots
- Years active: 1988-2009
The longest NFL career for a punter goes to this former undrafted free agent from Miami (FL). Sure most won’t focus on Feagles when talking about the Jimmy Johnson-led Hurricanes of the 1980’s, but he had one of the best professional careers of that dynasty.
We’re talking about an athlete who suited up for 22 years with five different teams. Feagles earned two Pro Bowls (14 years apart). He also holds the NFL record for most consecutive games played (352), most punts (1,713), most punts inside the 20 (497) and most punting yards (71,211). Yes, that’s 40.5 miles worth of punts for you math majors out there.
Related: Ranking the top 20 NFL head coaches of all time
3. Gary Anderson, kicker
- Games played: 353
- Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers
- Years active: 1982-2004
A seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Bills back in 1982, Anderson was actually released by the team before the regular season. Boy, that ended up being a mistake for the organization.
In addition to being one of the oldest players to suit up, Anderson finished his brilliant 23-year career having earned four Pro Bowl honors and two All-Pro honors. He’s the only player in NFL history to convert on all of his field goals and extra-point attempts in a single regular season. Did we mention Anderson finished his NFL career having converted on 80% of his field goals and 99.2% of his extra points?
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2. Adam Vinatieri, kicker
- Games played: 365
- Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts
- Years active: 1996-2019
Widely known for hitting multiple game-winning fields goals in the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots, Vinatieri will ultimately go down as one of the few regular kickers to earn a spot in Canton. That’s not hyperbole. This is just how good the former South Dakota State star was with the Patriots (10 seasons) and Colts (14 seasons).
Vinatieri finished his career as the NFL leader in games played (both regular season and playoffs), most career field goals made, most field goals attempts and most career points. He also hit on an absurd 84% of his attempts throughout a career that spanned nearly a quarter-century.
Related: NFL MVP odds 2024
1. Morten Anderson, kicker
- Games played: 382
- Teams: New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants
- Years active: 1982-2004, 2006-2007
The all-time NFL leader in games played, Anderson earned seven Pro Bowl appearances during his brilliant 26-year career. At the age of 47 with the Falcons, he made nearly 90% of his attempts. Talk about longevity and doing it right for a ton of years.
What makes Anderson such a staple around the NFL is the fact that he held 17 league records once his career came to an end in 2007. That includes most game-winning field goals, most 50-yard field goals in a game, most games with points, and most consecutive games scoring a point. Ultimately, Anderson had the longest NFL career ever.
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