On his 40th birthday, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is joining some elite company.
Counting Brady, there are now five players in the NFL who are 40 or older. Brady is the only one who plays a position other than kicker or punter.
Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who was heading into his fifth season with the Patriots when they drafted Brady in 2000, is the oldest player in the NFL. Vinatieri will turn 45 on December 28, so if he makes it to the end of this season he’ll become just the eighth player in NFL history to play at 45 or older.
Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson and Falcons kicker Matt Bryant are the next oldest, at 42. Dawson, the league’s second-oldest player, is four months older than Bryant.
Texans punter Shane Lechler will turn 41 on Monday and is the NFL’s fourth-oldest player.
Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who turned 39 in March, is No. 6 in the NFL age rankings. He’s followed by the league’s oldest defensive player, Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who turned 39 two months after Janikowski. Two more players will turn 39 this season: Vikings cornerback Terence Newman and Dolphins long snapper John Denney.