For the past three seasons, Tom Brady has been the oldest player in the NFL, but with the 45-year-old now officially retired, that title will be going to someone else for the 2023 season, and that someone else is Jason Peters.
The Cowboys' offensive lineman, who turned 41 on Jan. 22, is not only the oldest, but he's also one of just three players in the NFL older than 40. During the 2022 season, Peters played in 10 games for the Cowboys, but he also missed multiple games due to a chest injury. With Peters set to hit free agency in March, there's no guarantee that he's going to want to keep playing. In each of the past two seasons, he skipped the opening of free agency in March and didn't sign with a new team until after training camp was over.
Peters' career started in 2004 with the Buffalo Bills, and since then, he's played for a total of four teams over 18 seasons. After five seasons in Buffalo, Peters moved on to Philadelphia, where he spent 11 years, including a Super Bowl-winning season in 2017. Following his time in Philly, Peters signed with the Bears (2021) and then the Cowboys (2022).
No one knows what he's going to do in 2023, but if Peters does decide to call it quits, then the title of oldest player will go to Cardinals punter Andy Lee, who turns 41 in August.
Besides Lee, the only other player in the NFL over the age of 40 is 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, who turned 40 on Dec. 6. Although no one knows for sure what Lee and Peters will do going forward, we do know that Gould plans on playing in 2023, so there will be at least one player over the age of 40.
Gould, who is set to be be a free agent is March, definitely plans on playing next season.
"I'm nowhere near retiring," Gould said on Jan. 31, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "I got a lot left to do from a career perspective -- No. 1 being winning a Super Bowl. And, two, I'm pretty close to a lot of milestones I think would be pretty neat to be able to accomplish."
Although Gould is the most accurate kicker in NFL postseason history, he's never won a Super Bowl, as he noted. Gould has played in FIVE NFC Championship games and two Super Bowls, but he still doesn't have a ring. Gould has also scored the 10th-most points in NFL history and if he were to repeat his 2022 season in 2023 -- he scored 131 points last year -- that would move him to fifth on the all-time scoring list.
Adam Vinatieri played until he was 47, so there's no reason that Gould can't squeeze another season or two out of his right leg.
