How do you assess the best single seasons, by age, in NFL history? You don’t — at least not without a bit of whimsy and a willingness to engage in some serious give-and-take. For example, when he was 24, Eric Dickerson was rushing for an NFL-record 2,105 yards. Pretty good, but does it top Joe Namath, who threw for an unheard of amount of yards (4,007) when he was the same age? Or for that matter, Dick “Night Train” Lane, who at that age intercepted 14 passes during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams? Similarly, there are a lot of players — a Jerry Rice, a Walter Payton — who were very good at a lot of ages. For our purposes, we’re only taking one season per superstar, the better to give a number of players a chance at inclusion. We begin at age 22, when most NFL players, even underclassmen who enter the league early, begin their careers. We stop at age 40 because, George Blanda notwithstanding, it’s hard to find someone kicking about after that. So here we go. Let the discussion begin.
Age 22 — Gale Sayers
Chicago Bears, RB, 6-feet, 198 pounds
In a career that lasted only seven seasons, Sayers may have been the NFL’s most electrifying player ever. That was apparent from the start of his career. In 1965, his rookie year, Sayers ran for 867 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught 29 passes for another six scores. He also had a pair of kick returns for touchdowns.
Age 23 — Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins, QB, 6-4, 224
Though it’s tempting to consider Devin Hester’s rookie season, when he scored eight touchdowns on kick returns for the Bears, the nod has to go to Marino, who threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns in 1984. As was the case with many singular seasons, Marino’s excellence came during a Super Bowl season for the Dolphins.
Age 24 — Joe Namath
New York Jets, QB, 6-2, 200
Namath threw 28 interceptions in 1967, a spectacular number that fit right in during a season in which everything Broadway Joe did was mammoth. The picks were a career high, but so were Namath’s 26 touchdown passes, as well as his 491 attempts and 4,007 yards gained through the air.
Age 25 — Roger Craig
San Francisco 49ers, RB, 6-0, 222
Often overlooked among the galaxy of stars that was the 49ers during the 1980s, in 1985 Craig accomplished something that no one in the NFL had done. That season, Craig became the first player in league history to rush for 1,000 yards (1,050) and gain 1,000 yards in receptions (1,016). The only player to match the feat since is Marshall Faulk with the St. Louis Rams in 1999.
Age 26 — O.J. Simpson
Buffalo Bills, RB, 6-1, 212
There are some who say the Juice’s best season was in 1975, when he rushed for 1,817 yards and scored a then-NFL record 23 touchdowns. But we will still take 1973, when Simpson became the first player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards — 2,003, to be exact. Simpson averaged 6.0 yards a carry and scored 12 touchdowns.
Age 27 — LaDainian Tomlinson
San Diego Chargers, RB, 5-10, 221
In a remarkable and remarkably consistent career, 2006 stands out for L.T. Tomlinson rushed for a career-high 1,815 yards, an average of more than 113 yards per game, and scored 28 touchdowns. Tomlinson also caught 56 passes, including three for touchdowns.
Age 28 — Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts, QB, 6-5, 230
The reason the Colts always seemed so disappointing before finally winning a Super Bowl is because Manning has been so good. Never was that more true than in 2004, when the perennial all-pro set an NFL record by throwing 49 touchdown passes. In addition, his passer rating that season was an extraordinary 121.1.
Age 29 — Barry Sanders
Detroit Lions, RB, 5-9, 203
In 1998, Sanders, playing in his final NFL season, rushed for 1,491 yards, which was more than 500 yards fewer than he totaled in 1997. That year the elusive Lions star finished with 2,053 yards, averaging a ridiculous 6.1 yards per carry, and scored 11 touchdowns.
Age 30 — Walter Payton
Chicago Bears, RB, 5-10, 200
At an age when many NFL running backs already are out of the league, Payton dazzled in his 10th season. The Hall of Famer rushed for 1,684 yards, the second best total of his illustrious career, scoring 11 touchdowns for a team that went on to win the Super Bowl.
Age 31 — Deion Sanders
Dallas Cowboys, CB-PR, 6-1, 195
The epitome of a game-changer, Sanders still was making a difference with the Cowboys in 1998. That season, Prime Time intercepted five passes, returning one for a touchdown. He also averaged 15.6 yards on 24 punt returns, bringing back two of those for touchdowns.
Age 32 — Ronnie Lott
Oakland Raiders, DB, 6-0, 203
When the San Francisco 49ers decided Lott was washed up, he merely moved across the Bay to Oakland and continued bringing it to cringing wide receivers and running backs. In 1991, Lott intercepted eight passes and added 93 tackles.
Age 33 — Jerry Rice
San Francisco 49ers, WR, 6-2, 200
In 1995, his 11th NFL season, Rice shattered the league record for receiving yardage, catching 122 passes for 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns. A 2010 Hall of Fame inductee, Rice would play nine more seasons in the NFL, topping 1,000 yards in receptions four more times.
Age 34 — Mark Moseley
Washington Redskins, K, 5-11, 202
The 1982 season was memorable for a couple of things: The players’ strike reduced the schedule from 16 games to nine, and Moseley became the only kicker to win the NFL’s most valuable player award. The only straight-on kicker in the league, Moseley was 20-of-21 on field-goal attempts for the team that went on to win the Super Bowl.
Age 35 — John Riggins
Washington Redskins, RB, 6-2, 230
“The Over the Hill Gang” from George Allen’s day had nothing on the Redskins, circa the mid-1980s. Foremost among them was Riggins, who in 1984 rushed for 1,239 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Age 36 — Fran Tarkenton
Minnesota Vikings, QB, 6-0, 190
NFL teams didn’t fill the air with footballs in the 1970s, but Tarkenton did all right for himself in 1976. That season, Tarkenton passed for 2,961 yards — the fourth-highest total of his 13-year career — and 17 touchdowns. Tarkenton’s interception percentage that season was 1.9, the lowest of his career.
Age 37 — Rod Woodson
Oakland Raiders, S, 6-0, 200
Just one season away from retirement, Woodson had a spectacular year playing safety for the Raiders in 2002, intercepting eight passes, returning them on average more than 28 yards. Two of the pickoffs went for touchdowns as the Silver and Black reached the Super Bowl.
Age 38 — Kurt Warner
Arizona Cardinals, QB, 6-2, 220
In his final NFL season, at least two years after the time he supposedly would be replaced by Matt Leinart, Warner showed he still was an NFL force, throwing for 3,753 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2009.
Age 39 — Warren Moon
Minnesota Vikings, QB, 6-3, 218
At an age when many quarterbacks have retired or are doing nothing more strenuous than holding a clipboard, Moon was starting all 16 games for the Vikings, throwing for 4,228 yards and a career-best 33 touchdowns in 1995. Moon also led the NFL that season with 337 completions.
Age 40 — Brett Favre
Minnesota Vikings, QB, 6-2, 225
Perhaps one of those 10,000 lakes in Minnesota is really the fountain of youth. That could be one explanation why Favre, supposedly washed up the year before with the New York Jets, came to the Twin Cities and nearly led the Vikings to the Super Bowl, throwing for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns.
