Tom Brady‘s visit to New England on October 3 is the most anticipated game of this NFL season, with Brady and the defending champion Buccaneers returning to the place where he won his first six Super Bowls. But it could be a historic occasion for another reason that is as much about the Patriots’ starting quarterback as about Brady.
If rookie Mac Jones is the Patriots’ starter, his matchup with Brady would set a new NFL record for the largest age difference between starting quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady will turn 44 on August 3, while Jones will turn 23 on September 5. Never before has there been an age difference of more than 21 years between two starting quarterbacks.
The current record for the largest age difference between starting quarterbacks is 20 years, set last year when Brady and the Buccaneers took on Justin Herbert and the Chargers last year.
If Jones doesn’t win the Patriots’ starting job, a new quarterback age gap record can be set on October 14, when Brady and the Buccaneers take on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Hurts will turn 23 on August 7, so he’s less than a month older than Jones.
But an age gap record set by Brady vs. Jones or Brady vs. Hurts may not last long. The Buccaneers play the Bears on October 24, and Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields is younger than either Jones or Hurts. Fields won’t turn 23 until March 5.
And the age gap record can be broken once again on January 2, when the Buccaneers face the Jets and rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, who is only 21 years old. Wilson was born on Brady’s 22nd birthday.