- Calais Campbell is an ageless surprise: The soon-to-be 39-year-old continues to be an asset to any NFL defensive position. He is coming off the top-ranked PFF run-defense grade amongst all inside defenders final season.
- Matthew Stafford continues to offer the Rams with a excessive ceiling: Few NFL quarterbacks have as a lot command of their offense as Stafford does in Los Angeles, which retains him within the prime 10 dialog at 37 years outdated.
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Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
Some of essentially the most gifted gamers the NFL has ever seen retired earlier than turning 30 years outdated — most not too long ago, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly — because of the recreation’s extremely bodily nature.
While it’s not the norm, there are nonetheless gamers across the league who’re taking part in at a excessive degree within the later levels of their careers. Here are 10 who stand out heading into the 2025 season, most of whom will find yourself within the Hall of Fame.
T Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles
Johnson and teammate Jordan Mailata had been the league’s solely two offensive tackles who earned a PFF pass-blocking and PFF run-blocking grade above 85.0 in 2024. Johnson’s 88.9 PFF general grade was a profession excessive, a exceptional feat for a participant in his twelfth season.
Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson
The finest offensive sort out duo within the league 🦅 pic.twitter.com/tFdbcRZQaB
— PFF (@PFF) February 13, 2025
Including the playoffs (4 video games), Johnson allowed simply 14 pressures throughout 574 pass-blocking snaps throughout final 12 months’s Super Bowl run. He’s nonetheless on the quick record for finest tackles within the NFL, and based on current feedback made by him at minicamp, he’s feeling higher than he has at any level in his profession at 35 years outdated.
LB Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders
Despite taking part in greater than 14,000 snaps in his 13-year profession, Wagner is displaying no indicators of slowing down. Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels acquired lots of the headlines amid the Commanders’ spectacular turnaround final season, and deservedly so, however Wagner’s impression on the protection in his first 12 months with the group mustn’t go unheralded.
Wagner’s 88.3 PFF general grade ranked third out of 84 qualifying linebackers, and he led the place in PFF pass-rush grade (90.9) and ranked second in PFF run-defense grade (91.2). It was his third straight 12 months of incomes a PFF run-defense grade greater than 91.0.
QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Stafford wasn’t at his finest final season, ending with a 74.4 PFF general grade, however some components had been working towards him. Aside from proper guard Kevin Dotson, all Rams beginning offensive linemen missed time as a result of damage. The group was additionally hit laborious by accidents on the talent positions, most notably to huge receiver Puka Nacua and tight finish Tyler Higbee. Despite that, Stafford nonetheless had the Rams in place to knock off the eventual Super Bowl champions on the street within the divisional spherical with simply over a minute to go within the fourth quarter.
Matthew Stafford together with his patented no-look 🚫👀 pic.twitter.com/o2Gmtnphgi
— PFF (@PFF) January 19, 2025
Few quarterbacks within the NFL have as a lot command of their offense as Stafford does in Los Angeles, which retains him within the prime 10 dialog at 37 years outdated.
WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Evans made historical past final season, tying Jerry Rice for essentially the most consecutive seasons topping 1,000 receiving yards (11) regardless of lacking time with a hamstring damage. He was elite in Tampa Bay’s wild-card playoff loss to the Commanders (91.8 general grade), dominating longtime rival Marshon Lattimore. He caught all six targets thrown his method within the matchup for 84 yards and a landing whereas additionally drawing a defensive go interference penalty.
Earlier this month, Evans commented that this 12 months’s Buccaneers huge receiver room is perhaps the most effective he’s been part of in his profession. He might be joined by fellow veteran standout Chris Godwin and first-round choose Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State atop the depth chart this season.
T Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Like Lane Johnson, Williams is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Williams’ 85.6 PFF general grade in 2024 signaled a down 12 months by his requirements however nonetheless ranked seventh out of 81 qualifying tackles within the NFL. He was the highest-graded sort out within the league from 2020 to 2023, grading no decrease than 91.7 in any of these seasons.
Williams appeared in simply 10 video games final season whereas battling damage, taking part in his fewest snaps (649) since 2017. He might be 37 years outdated by the point the 2025 marketing campaign kicks off, but when wholesome, he stays one of many recreation’s finest at left sort out.
DI Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
Heyward is yet one more participant on this record who’s a lock for the Hall of Fame, trailing solely Chris Jones in PFF general grade (90.1) amongst inside defenders final season. At 35 years outdated, he completed the 12 months with a career-high 85.9 PFF pass-rush grade.
The five-time All-Pro is an enormous purpose why the Steelers prime PFF’s record of the most effective defensive traces within the NFL heading into the 2025 season. His presence might be particularly priceless for Derrick Harmon, the Steelers’ first-round choose on this 12 months’s draft.
G Joe Thuney, Chicago Bears
Thuney has been a mannequin of consistency over his profession, grading no decrease than 74.2 general since 2017. Although his grade final 12 months (80.0) fell in need of his career-best mark (81.2) in 2021, it’s essential to level out that he was taking part in out of place at instances. Thuney began at left sort out from Week 15 on via the Super Bowl, with 30.2% of his snaps for the season coming there.
The four-time All-Pro was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Chicago Bears again in March and was rewarded with a two-year extension price $17.5 million per season, making his new three-year contract price $51 million ($33.5 million assured). Thuney might be an enormous a part of a revamped Bears offensive line underneath new head coach Ben Johnson in 2025.
CB Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins
It’s nonetheless unclear the place Ramsey might be taking part in in 2025 (doubtless not with the Dolphins), however wherever it’s, that group might be getting one of the crucial gifted cornerbacks within the NFL.
While he’s not a top-five participant at his place, Ramsey proved final 12 months that he nonetheless has loads left within the tank. He ranked tenth out of 116 qualifying cornerbacks in PFF general grade (76.9), eighth in PFF run-defense grade (85.7) and twenty fifth in PFF superior protection grade, permitting two touchdowns throughout 607 protection snaps.
DI Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals
Aside from quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, Calais Campbell (who turns 39 years outdated in September) is the oldest lively participant within the NFL. The Dolphins had been one of many league’s greatest disappointments final 12 months, beginning the season 2-6, however Campbell nonetheless performed in all 17 video games, rating first amongst inside defenders with an 85.9 PFF run-defense grade.
Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free company and can end out his Hall-of-Fame profession again the place it began in 2008. His management might be priceless for an enhancing defensive position, most notably Sixteenth-overall choose Walter Nolen.
G Kevin Zeitler, Tennessee Titans
The Titans might be Zeitler’s sixth NFL group, which is shocking, given how nicely he’s performed over his profession, grading decrease than 71.6 general simply as soon as in 13 seasons. His lone 12 months in Detroit was wonderful, rating fourth amongst 73 qualifying guards with an 86.5 PFF grade — his highest for the reason that 2014 season.
The former first-round pick of Wisconsin has been extraordinarily sturdy, averaging 1,038 snaps per season. In Tennessee, he might be tasked with defending No. 1 general choose quarterback Cam Ward.