How QBs 37 and Older Have Fared Last 25 Seasons

Panic, concern or patience. Until Matthew Stafford’s back soreness allows him to return to practice, some Los Angeles Rams stakeholders likely vacillate between those emotions on an hourly basis.

One of the most important stakeholders, head coach Sean McVay, appears firmly on the patient side of that spectrum. He said Sunday night that Stafford won’t participate in joint practice with the Cowboys on Tuesday, but the Rams are looking forward to easing their signal-caller back into football, hopefully in the near future.

However, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum is concerned.

“I know he's going to be fine,” Tannenbaum said on Monday morning’s edition of Get Up. “I know he knows the system, but when you have Davante Adams, you want reps. Hey, going through the rigors of a 17-game season, I want my quarterback out on the field in training camp. I know that's crazy in this day and age, but I actually want my quarterback to practice.”

Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) runs onto the field prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Rams obviously care more about winning in January than they do in August. And McVay has earned six playoff berths in eight seasons without playing his starters much, if at all, during the preseason.

Over the last 25 years

The larger concern for the Rams – and one of the reasons they’re likely being smart with Stafford -- should be the history of starting quarterbacks after they turned 37. According to Elias Sports Bureau, since the beginning of the 2000 season, 36 quarterbacks have started at least one game after their 37th birthdays.

Only eight of those 36 have started and won at least one playoff game since 2000:

Tom Brady (17-5 in postseason after turning 37);

Drew Brees (3-4);

Rich Gannon (2-1);

Brett Favre (2-2);

Peyton Manning (5-2);

Philip Rivers (1-2);

Aaron Rodgers (1-2), and

Kurt Warner (4-2).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws the ball against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Dec. 25, 2022. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Brady, Gannon, Peyton Manning and Rodgers won MVPs in their later years, Joe Flacco (0-1), Jeff Garcia (0-1), Ben Roethlisberger (0-2) and Vinny Testaverde (0-1) were a combined 0-5 in the playoffs after turning 37. Over the last 25 years, no other quarterback 37-or-older has led his team to the postseason.

Meanwhile, only 14 of those 36 started for at least most of their teams’ games in one-or-more seasons after turning Stafford’s age: Brady, Brees, Favre, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Doug Flutie, Garcia, Brad Johnson, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Josh McCown, Carson Palmer, Rodgers, Roethlisberger and Testaverde.

'They'll be fine'

“Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams can line up on the field today,” Stafford’s former Detroit teammate Dan Orlovsky said Monday morning, “and, ‘What are you going to run? … ‘20-yard comeback,’ and that ball will be on the face and Davante will catch it, tiptoe the sideline, and be fine.

“So, I just believe that those guys have thousands of reps themselves, and they'll be fine. I truly, truly believe that this is a non-thing and that he will be fine.”

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