This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/DiggingNoMore on 2025-05-28 15:11:58+00:00.
| Birth Decade | Player | Last Season | # Seasons As Lone Rep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | John Nesser (1876), Louie Fritsch (1879) | 1921 | 0 |
| 1880s | Jim Thorpe (1887) | 1928 | 2 |
| 1890s | Mose Kelsch (1897), Link Lyman (1898) | 1934 | 0 |
| 1900s | Ken Strong (1906) | 1947 | 2 |
| 1910s | Ben Agajanian (1919) | 1964 | 7 |
| 1920s | George Blanda (1927) | 1975 | 6 |
| 1930s | Jim Marshall (1937) | 1979 | 1 |
| 1940s | Julius Adams (1948) | 1987 | 1 |
| 1950s | Gary Anderson (1959) | 2004 | 4 |
| 1960s | Matt Turk (1968), John Kasay (1969) | 2011 | 0 |
| 1970s | Tom Brady (1977) | 2022 | 2 |
In full disclosure, due to spotty NFL (and government) record-keeping around the turn of the century, there are 116 NFL players whose birth date is unknown. So it’s technically possible that one of those guys actually was the last one left from their birth decade. However, a vast majority of those guys only played a single season and a vast majority played during the first few years of the NFL’s existence. A notable exception was a player who played a single game in the World War II era, with an unknown birth date, unknown death date, and went by the name of John Smith.
In further full disclosure, there are other 1980s-born players who claim to be active, but they didn’t play last season (or even the last two seasons), so I’m disregarding them.
Most likely, the last 1980s-born player will come from this list below. Based on previous decades, I would guess the last 1980s player(s) will play in 2031, maybe 2032.
- Born 1987: Graham Gano (K), Andrew Depaola (LS), Andy Dalton (QB), Jake McQuaide (LS), Greg Zuerlein (K)
- Born 1988: Matthew Stafford (QB), Kareem Jackson (DB), Trent Williams (T), Jerry Hughes (DE), Kirk Cousins (QB), Bryan Anger (P), Linval Joseph (DT), Russell Wilson (QB)
- Born 1989: Demario Davis (OLB), Harrison Smith (FS), Von Miller (LB), Cameron Heyward (DT), Nick Bellore (LB), Kelvin Beachum (T), Cameron Jordan (DE), John Jenkins (DT), Tyrod Taylor (QB), James Winchester (LS), Travis Kelce (TE), Justin Tucker (K)
I think I’d put my money on James Winchester, since he was born late in the decade, is a long snapper, and only started playing in 2015 (every other 1989-born player’s rookie season was 2013 or earlier).
And, if you were wondering, it usually takes 11 seasons from a birth decade’s first appearance to peak, composing roughly 90% of the league at that point, before beginning the long taper downhill. The quantity of players born in the 1990s peaked in 2021.