NFL's oldest defensive player signs a reported one-year deal with the Vikings

Terence Newman will be the only defensive player over the age of 40 when the 2018 NFL season begins

By John Breech

Apr 30, 2018 at 4:37 pm ET • 2 min read

The oldest defensive player in the NFL is going to be on the field for at least one more season.

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Monday that they've re-signed veteran cornerback Terence Newman, which is notable, because Newman is now that oldest defensive player in the NFL, following the retirement of James Harrison in April. Newman, who turns 40 on Sept. 4, signed a one-year deal with the Vikings, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Of course, Newman isn't just old for defensive players, he's also pretty old when it comes to any NFL player. The 2003 first-round pick will be the seventh-oldest player in the NFL next season and the second-oldest positional player, behind only Tom Brady, who turns 41 in August. The only other players older than Newman are all kickers or punters, including Adam Vinatieri (45), Phil Dawson (43), Matt Bryant (43 on May 29), Shane Lechler (42 on Aug. 7) and Sebastian Janikowski (40).

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Newman's decision to stick around for another year most likely has to do with the fact that he's completely comfortable playing under Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. Including his time with the Vikings, Newman has played under Zimmer for nine of his 15 seasons, a total that includes stops with Zimmer in Dallas (2003-06) and Cincinnati (2012-13). Newman signed with the Vikings in 2015 and has been playing under Zimmer ever since.

Despite his age, Newman has played a vital role in the Vikings defense over the past few years. In 2017, the 39-year-old Newman was on the field for 555 snaps, which was the third-highest total among all Vikings corners. The nickel corner, who can also play some safety, played in all 16 games for Minnesota last season and started in seven of those. Newman has played in 13 or more games in 14 of his 15 NFL seasons.

One other reason the Vikings are likely keeping Newman around is because of his experience. The veteran has been sharing his wisdom with younger defensive backs like Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander.

"Terence is a guy that's always been behind me, always been pushing me, always been talking to me throughout everything that's going on," Alexander told Vikings.com in December. "Sometimes you look at him and it's like, 'Man.' He makes some plays that it's like, '[Dang], he knew that was coming.' Or, 'How did he know that was coming?' Things like that. That's Terence, man. Terence is Terence."

On thing that might have driven Newman to play at least one more season is the thought of playing in a Super Bowl. The 15-year veteran has never played in the NFL's biggest game. The closest Newman came to reaching the Super Bowl came last season, when the Vikings lost in the NFC title game. Before that, Newman had never been on a team that advanced past the divisional round.