He may not be as good as he once was, but Matthew Stafford is still proving to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL despite him nearing 40 years of age. Currently leading the NFL in passing touchdowns with a total of 35, the 17-year veteran has the Los Angeles Rams at 10-3 and in the hunt for a first-round bye in the postseason.
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And then there’s Aaron Rodgers, who, despite being well past the 40-year mark, is still managing to hold his own as well. The former Green Bay Packer is currently just outside of the top-10 when it comes to passer ratings and touchdowns, ranking 11th in both categories while helping Stafford to prove that age is nothing more than a number.
According to Tom Brady himself, both of their efforts should be applauded, even if Stafford does appear to be in a class of his own right now.
“They are committing year round for that, and that’s a big commitment. It’s like running a marathon. Yea, everyone wants to run the last three miles like Philip Rivers is doing, but it’s hard to run all 26. And it’s not just running the 26 miles, it’s also the preparation for the running… But Matt has just been awesome. He’s having an incredible season, an MVP caliber season.”
The former face of the New England Patriots also suggested that “I could play now,” it’s just that the thought of recommitting himself to such an extreme extent gives him pause. Of course, it’s highly likely that the rest of the league is more than content with things being that way.
It’s also likely that the newfound quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, Rivers, let out a chuckle upon seeing the take. At 44 years of age, the former San Diego Charger has come out of retirement in an attempt to save the Colts’ playoff hopes while making a few extra bucks in the process.
Rivers was technically signed to a practice squad deal, so he’ll only collect about $20,000 per week, but he’ll get to play meaningful football while doing so and it’ll help to put a few of his 10 children through college, so it’s surely worth it for the eight-time Pro Bowler. Should the Colts manage to make the playoffs, it’s unclear as to whether or not Rivers would play, as the team could potentially bring back Anthony Richardson from the IR if given the opportunity.
However, if he proves to be in good form, then Rivers may just have one last opportunity to even out his 5-7 career playoff record, at which point, the risk was most definitely worth the reward.
