Ed Note: The following appears courtesy Bloguin’s national NFL site This Given Sunday.
Last week, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner said that while at Florida State’s Pro Day, a team approached him and asked if he’d considering “doing a private workout.”
Warner was intrigued, and so are we.
How could you not be? The man may be 43 years old, going on 44 this summer, but quarterbacks seem to be lasting longer than ever these days and Warner completed 66.1 percent of his passes as a 38-year-old during his final season.
Yes, that was back in 2009, but let’s consider that Warner has always defied the odds. Could he do it again at this stage?
Thing is, it’s just not totally crazy. Remember, Warner got a late start to his career. He wasn’t a regular NFL starter until he was 28 years old and he wasn’t playing very consistently before that so there’s always been a little more tread on those tires.
Warren Moon also didn’t launch his NFL career until he was 28, and he started 10 games for the Seattle Seahawks as a 42-year-old in 1998. I know, big difference between 42 and 44. But consider that Steve DeBerg and Vinny Testaverde started NFL games as 44-year-olds in 1998 and 2007, respectively, while Doug Flutie was also on an NFL roster as a 43-year-old (another guy who got a late start).
I’m not saying Warner can jump into a camp somewhere and become a starter overnight. I’m definitely not saying he can become the first 40-something-year-old quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl. But there is a chance he’s better than at least one quarterback currently slated to start in 2015. And it’s hard to imagine he’s not still one of the best 64 pivots in America.
I don’t know if Warner would want to join an NFL roster as an insurance policy, but it would give him a chance to throw it around while playing the role of mentor, something I could some him relishing.
It’s not likely going to happen, but it would be fun to see. And in this league, you just can’t rule it out.
Quarterbacks who have started 10-plus games in a season beyond the age of 40
1. Warren Moon: Did so as a 41-year-old in 1997 and again at the age of 42 in ’98.
2. Brett Favre: Did so as a 40-year-old in 2009 and again at the age of 41 in ’10.
3. Vinny Testaverde: Did so as a 41-year-old in 2004.
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