The 30 best NFL players in their 30s

While he hasn't made a Pro Bowl since 2013, Jackson remains one of the best deep threats in the league. He led the NFL with an 18.9 yards per reception average last season. Jackson has led that category three times in the last five years. He posted 41 catches, 774 yards and four touchdowns in 2018.

Entering his 17th season in the league, it's absolutely incredible Suggs can still be on a list like this. Last year at 36, he recorded 7.0 sacks with 13 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits.

Talk about a late bloomer, Schwartz has never made the Pro Bowl in his career, but he made his first All-Pro team in 2018. Now 30 years old, he's one of the best veteran right tackles in the league.

McCoy snapped his Pro Bowl streak in 2018, but he still recorded 6.0 sacks with 28 combined tackles and 21 quarterback hits. The six-time Pro Bowler will continue his career in Carolina this fall.

The Patriots wideout was difficult to rate, but he's won three Super Bowls and earned Super Bowl MVP in February. Despite the fact that he's never made the Pro Bowl and is really just a glorified slot receiver, his importance to the Patriots dynasty lands him on this list.

At 37 years old, Whitworth is certainly past his prime, but he earned an All-Pro nomination as recently as 2017. He started every game last season for the Rams and has been key to the development of Jared Goff since joining the team two years ago.

Houston hasn't been quite the same player the last few years because of injury, but in just 12 games during 2018, he recorded 9.0 sacks, 37 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits. The 2014 All-Pro hopes to be healthy and make a similar impact with the Colts in 2019.

Newton has really only had one incredible year, but his dual-threat ability should continue to give defenses fits even with him turning 30 this past May. Newton posted a career-high 67.9 completion percentage with 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games last year.

He's a journeyman at this point, but Suh can still take over a game. In 2018, he recorded 4.5 sacks with four tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits. It will be interesting to see what he can do on his own in Tampa Bay without Aaron Donald next to him.

It took him a while to develop, but Heyward did finally prove why he was worth selecting in the first round. Heyward has made the Pro Bowl each of the last two years and earned an All-Pro bid in 2017. He has 20 sacks with 40 quarterback hits in the last two seasons.

Since 2011, Atkins has made the Pro Bowl every year except one (2013), and he didn't make it that year because of injury. In 2018, he posted 10.0 sacks with 13 tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits.

Campbell was a great player in Arizona, but he's become even better in his 30s in Jacksonville. He's made the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons and earned an All-Pro nomination in 2017. Campbell has 25 sacks, 34 tackles for loss and 52 quarterback hits in the last two years.

He took a slight step backward last fall, but even at 32, Mack is one of the best centers in the NFL. He's made each of the last four Pro Bowls and should anchor Atlanta's offensive line again for one of the best offenses in 2019.

If this list was based purely on longevity, it would be hard to not put Gore at No. 1. He's now fourth all time in rushing yards and should move into third place by the end of the season. With the Dolphins last year, he rushed for 722 yards and 4.6 yards per carry.

Turning 30 later this month, Pouncey has dealt with some injuries in his career. He missed all of the 2015 season and every game but one in 2013. But in every other season, he's at least made the Pro Bowl, including in each of the last three years when anchoring one of the best offensive lines in the league.

The seven-time Pro Bowler could have been higher on the list, but he played only nine games last year and missed the Pro Bowl because of injury. Even so, he has 602 receptions and 8,907 receiving yards with 63 touchdowns in his career.

Yanda isn't the All-Pro candidate he was a few years ago, but he's made the Pro Bowl two of the last three years. He missed it in 2017, but Yanda played only two games that year because of injury. Yanda has made the Pro Bowl every other year since 2011.

A disastrous finish to 2018 kept "Big Ben" outside the top 10, but he's still one of the best signal-callers in the game. While he did lead the league with 16 interceptions last season, he also had a career-best 5,129 passing yards.

He's made each of the last three Pro Bowls, but Rivers really didn't play that well in 2016 and 2017, especially in 2016 when he led the league with 21 picks. But in 2018 he was an MVP candidate, leading the Chargers to a 12-4 record with 4,308 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Even at 36 (in August), Fitzgerald is one of the most dependable wide receivers in the league. He is set to become second in career receptions this year and is already second in receiving yards. Fitzgerald had 69 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns in 2018.

Thomas played just four games in 2018 because of an injury, but when healthy he's still one of the best safeties in the league. The question is will he be healthy in 2019? Thomas has 28 interceptions and 684 combined tackles in 125 career games.

Still one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league, Ryan has posted elite numbers in the last few years despite playing for multiple offensive coordinators. He threw for 4,924 yards and 35 touchdowns with just seven interceptions in 2018.

The 34-year-old seems to just keep getting better with age. That's not actually true, as he last earned an All-Pro bid in 2014, but he made each of the last three Pro Bowls with the Ravens. Weddle will look to keep that streak alive with the Rams this fall.

Kelce has played his best two seasons in the last two years, earning a pair of All-Pro nominations since 2017. He is also a four-time Pro Bowler.

The Seahawks still have a decent defense, but it isn't quite as elite as it was earlier in the decade. That's turned Wilson into the man in Seattle, and he's responded with a pair of 30-touchdown seasons the last two years.

Brown showed signs of aging in 2018, and it's worth questioning his motivation after winning the offseason showdown with the Steelers and earning a huge raise. But in what was considered a "down year," Brown still had 104 receptions, 1,297 yards and a league-high 15 touchdowns.

Jones gets the slight edge over Brown because Jones has the potential to age better. In his last season of his 20s (he turned 30 in February), Jones posted 113 catches, a league-high 1,677 yards and eight scores last year.

Miller hasn't missed a Pro Bowl or failed to reach 10.0 sacks in a season since 2013. During 2018 he recorded 14.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 26 quarterback hits. Miller also had four forced fumbles, three passes defensed and an interception last year.

From 2016-17, Watt played just eight games. But in 2018 he returned to form, earning his fifth All-Pro nomination. He posted 16.0 sacks with 18 tackles for loss and 25 quarterback hits. If not for Aaron Donald, Watt would arguably still be the best defender in the league at 30.

It's hard to believe Rodgers is 35. He entered the league at 22, but he didn't become a starter until turning 25 in 2008. And the last 10 years of Rodgers' career has flown by quickly with several missed opportunities to go deeper in the playoffs. In a season where he played hurt most of the time, he posted 4,442 yards, 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions during 2018.