What is the average age of an NFL player? All you need to know

NFL careers aren't as long as players typically would like. This is because of the sport's physical demands, which increase the chance of injuries that could end or drastically shorten careers, as well as the fierce competition for the few roster slots available.

We constantly see younger players in the NFL trying to break into the game while veteran players are gradually leaving. The average age of NFL players has decreased over the years as a result of this constant player movement and the injection of younger players.

According to Stathead, the average age of all NFL players as of October 2024 is 26.6 years old — about 26 years and 7 months. That is only a few months older than the average age of pro soccer players in 2024, more than two years younger than the average MLB player, and roughly seven months older than the average NBA player.

That said, it's important to note that there are a lot of younger and older NFL players, but some positional groups have a higher proportion of older players than younger ones.

The average age of NFL players by position is broken down below.

Average age of NFL players by position

When considering all NFL quarterbacks in 2024, starting and backups alike, their average age is 28.4 years.

Several veterans in the latter stages of their careers, such as Aaron Rodgers (41), Joe Flacco (40) and Josh Johnson (38), are the leading contributors to the high average age of quarterbacks in the game.

The average ages of NFL players in other positions are listed below:

• Running Backs - 25.45 years old
• Wide Receivers - 26.03 years old
• Tight Ends - 26.7 years old
• Offensive Linemen - 26.64 years old
• Defensive Linemen - 27.03 years old
• Linebackers - 26.33 years old
• Defensive Backs - 25.93 years old
• Long Snapper - 30.65 years old
• Kicker - 29.02 years old
• Punter - 28.51 years old

The NFL's oldest position group is the long snapper position, with an average age of 30.6 years. Meanwhile, the running back position is currently the youngest in the NFL with an average age of 25.4 years.

As of October 2024, there were just six running backs in the league who were 30 years of age or older, which is less than 5% of the players in the position group.