These 4 Quarterbacks Are Over 35 But Still Putting Up Strong Numbers

Four veteran quarterbacks are driving up the average age of their respective NFL teams while also piling up some positive numbers on the field.

Sure, two of them changed teams in the offseason and each has his own set of complicated expectations. One of them even entered the season as the reigning MVP.

But while they might be in the gray zone as far as their beards, their personal stats are looking as youthful as ever through Week 7.

The grizzled gang—for the purposes of this breakdown, aged 35 or older—has put a collective best foot forward, even if team results don’t earn straight As.

4. First up is New York Jets signal caller Geno Smith, who wasn’t welcome in Las Vegas after the Raiders plucked Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in this year’s draft but has posted credible stats with the Jets. The problem for Smith and New York is that there isn’t enough fuel to get the Jets off the ground. The team is floundering at 2–5.

It was supposed to be a happy homecoming for the 36-year-old, who returned to the team that selected him in the second round in the 2013 draft. But ESPN’s passer ratings have Smith at 26th, even though he is 13th in passing yards this season.

Smith has thrown for more than 250 yards three times—with a season-best 321 in a 31–24 Sept. 27 loss to the Detroit Lions—and has 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions. But with the 21 sacks he has taken, his quarterback rating (QBR) of 57.8 is at No. 19.

It’s difficult to pin the losses on the QB’s play, but Jets wideout Garrett Wilson seemed to let off some steam on the sidelines—and in the general direction of Smith—during Sunday’s 28–25 home loss to the lowly Miami Dolphins (1–5).

3. Kirk Cousins of the Raiders is next on the list. After two seasons in Atlanta, he arrived in Sin City with a good opening act, but his disappearing act might just be a matter of time.

The 38-year-old, whose team lost 35–21 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, was named the starter for Week 8. As the losses pile up, however, the 3–4 Raiders might squeeze a little tighter on the trigger that will put their prized draft pick Mendoza under center.

Cousins is 21st in QBR and third in yardage, but after the loss to the Rams, Fernando-mania figures to be one bad pass away.

2. Toward the top of the list is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers, who had been looking mostly old and iffy the past two seasons after his Achilles rupture in 2023. This season, the 42-year-old has helped Pittsburgh to a winning mark. His scrambling and late play-making were among key turning points that lifted the Steelers past the New Orleans Saints 16–10 on Sunday in Paris.

Rodgers has thrown for 1,699 yards (10th most in the NFL) with 13 TDs (tied for seventh) and five interceptions, and has a QBR of 49.8. The Steelers are 5–2, tied atop the AFC North division with the surprising Cleveland Browns.

Rodgers is 24th in QBR but has an 88.9 passer rating. He has said this is his last season, so he’s certainly going to go all-out in his finale. Rodgers posted a season-high game of 299 yards passing in Week 4, and with the team riding a three-game winning streak, he deserves some midseason flowers.

1. Then there’s the curious case of the Rams and their reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford.

Stafford was outstanding last season. He has sputtered through his start over seven games this season, but was sharp in the destruction of the Raiders.

The 38-year-old is 10th in QBR, first in yards with 1,989, second in pass attempts with 278 and tied for fourth with two others in TD passes with 14.

Stafford has piled up strong stats, but the Rams were a perplexing 2–4 before their latest victory, in which he tossed three first-half touchdowns. They only scored 16 points in a Week 6 debacle of an 18–16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home, falling flat on their faces against a struggling divisional opponent and seemingly dropping to the very back of the line to the playoffs.

Stafford’s seven picks are a concern, mostly because of the decision-making, and his 65.7 QBR is about 14 points behind leader Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.

The Rams, though, have endured some bad decisions, fumbles, close calls and injuries to key players including Myles Garrett, a two-time Defensive Player of The Year winner and holder of the single-season sack record. Garrett has yet to return to action after struggling through the opener and undergoing surgery after Week 1.

The Rams have more Ls than most expected, but they can’t blame their grizzled quarterback.