As sports science continues to evolve and improve, the NFL world has seen some longer careers from players at certain positions. However, the average NFL career is still somewhat brief at 3.3 years.
While age does not determine success or defeat for teams, it can play a factor in terms of injury risk, experience, and on-field performance. With the NFL postseason kicking off in the second weekend of January, here’s a look at the oldest teams in the NFL.
What Are the Oldest Teams in the NFL in 2026?
While not the oldest, as the Washington Commanders hold a considerable lead at 28.09, the Pittsburgh Steelers enter the 2025 NFL playoffs as the oldest roster of the postseason teams, with an average age of 27.28.
They are joined by the Denver Broncos, sixth, and the Los Angeles Rams, ninth, who join the Steelers as the oldest playoff rosters ranking in the top ten of the NFL.
Here’s a look at the rest of the list.
- Washington Commanders: 28.09
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 27.28
- Atlanta Falcons: 26.71
- Detroit Lions: 26.6
- New York Giants: 26.58
- Tennessee Titans: 26.58
- Denver Broncos: 26.43
- Minnesota Vikings: 26.4
- Los Angeles Rams: 26.38
- Houston Texans: 26.38
- Carolina Panthers: 26.32
- San Francisco 49ers: 26.3
- New Orleans Saints: 26.26
- Indianapolis Colts: 26.26
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 26.25
- Buffalo Bills: 26.25
- Chicago Bears: 26.23
- Arizona Cardinals: 26.19
- Cleveland Browns: 26.15
- Baltimore Ravens: 26.13
- Las Vegas Raiders: 26.11
- New England Patriots: 26.08
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 26.04
- Miami Dolphins: 26
- Kansas City Chiefs: 25.92
- Los Angeles Chargers: 25.91
- New York Jets: 25.81
- Seattle Seahawks: 25.77
- Cincinnati Bengals: 25.77
- Dallas Cowboys: 25.74
- Philadelphia Eagles: 25.49
- Green Bay Packers: 25.23
Washington Commanders
The Commanders have the oldest roster in the league by far. The average age of 28.09 is a staggering 0.81 years more than the second-place Steelers, the largest gap between two teams in the league. This isn’t surprising given some of the moves the Commanders have made since naming Dan Quinn as the franchise’s head coach in 2024.
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While 25-year-old quarterback Jayden Daniels leads the offense, all three of his backups are over 30. Jeff Driskel and Marcus Mariota are the same age at 32, while journeyman Josh Johnson is the oldest player on the roster at 39.
The Commanders also signed 15-year veteran linebacker Von Miller, who turned 36 in the 2025 offseason. That’s after adding a pair of 35-year-old linebackers in 2024, former Seattle Seahawks linebackers Bobby Wagner and Nick Bellore.
Pittsburgh Steelers
While the Steelers aren’t quite as old as the Commanders, they do have the oldest roster in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. They also don’t have quite as big a gap between themselves and the Falcons in third place, but at 0.57 years, it’s still a considerable difference.
The source of the increased age starts with 21-year veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who signed with Pittsburgh late in the 2025 offseason. After a brief stint with the New York Jets, Rodgers opted to begin the 21st season of his legendary career with the Steelers. Veteran wideout Adam Thielen joins Rodgers as one of the oldest players on the offense, as the 35-year-old pass catcher has bounced around the league the past few seasons.
How old each of the other six AFC playoff QBs were when Aaron Rodgers made his NFL postseason debut 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ly1CKcHAk3
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 9, 2026
On the defensive side of the football, the unit is led by 15-year veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who has continued to be a stout and vocal presence on the interior of the defense at 36 years old. However, the age drops a bit on the defense, as the next oldest players on the roster are linebacker T.J. Watt and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, both at 31.
It will be interesting to see where this squad ends up next year if Rodgers decides it’s finally time to retire this offseason. While he was an improvement for the offense this season, the unit still struggled, ranking 14th in PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric with a score of 76.4.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are the third-oldest roster in the league. While the Commanders are the only teams with a 28-year average, and the Steelers are the only team at 27, the majority of the NFL teams sit between the 26 and 26.71 age range. Additionally, the gap between the Falcons and the fourth-oldest team, the Detroit Lions, is only .11 years.
They sit atop the teams with a 26-year average, almost exclusively due to the age of 14-year veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who turned 37 during the 2025 preseason. While he has struggled somewhat since joining Atlanta after an overall successful stint in Minnesota, Cousins has appeared in 24 games for the Falcons over the past two seasons.
