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Average length of player careers in the NFL
Average length of player careers in the NFL
Average playing career length in the National Football League (in years)
The statistic depicts the average length of a player's career in the National Football League, considering different aspects influencing the length of a playing career. According to the NFL Players Association the average career length is about 3.3 years. The NFL claims that the average career is about 6 years (for players who make a club's opening day roster in their rookie season).
Average NFL career length – additional information
Players with at least one Pro Bowl appearance usually have the longest career of all NFL players. These players’ careers last for 11.7 years on average, nearly four times longer than the average NFL career. First-round draft picks also have a NFL career length far above average – around nine years. In terms of positions, kickers and punters have the longest NFL career average, as their positions require the least physical contact in comparison to other positions. Quarterbacks are next on the list, with average career length of around 4.4 years. George Blanda, who played both as a kicker and a quarterback, has the longest NFL career of all time, playing for 26 seasons in total.
Quarterbacks not only have a longer career than the average NFL player, but they command the highest salaries in the league. Eight out of ten of the players with the highest salaries in the NFL are quarterbacks. Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo leads all players, with a salary of 24.7 million U.S. dollars in 2017. Tom Brady, drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, has won 25 playoff games during his career, the most ever for a quarterback. Brady has led his team to five Super Bowls titles, placing the Pats amongst the top NFL teams in number of championships, only behind the Steelers.
Average playing career length in the National Football League (in years)
Loading statistic...
| Average career length in years | |
|---|---|
| Players with at least one Pro Bowl selection / appearance | 11.7 |
| First-round draft picks | 9.3 |
| Player with at least three pension-credited seasons* | 7.1 |
| Player who makes a club's opening day roster in his rookie season | 6 |
| Average career of an NFL player** | 3.3 |
| Kickers & Punters** | 4.87 |
| Quarterbacks** | 4.44 |
| Cornerbacks** | 2.94 |
| Wide receivers** | 2.81 |
| Running backs** | 2.57 |
| Average career length in years | |
|---|---|
| Players with at least one Pro Bowl selection / appearance | 11.7 |
| First-round draft picks | 9.3 |
| Player with at least three pension-credited seasons* | 7.1 |
| Player who makes a club's opening day roster in his rookie season | 6 |
| Average career of an NFL player** | 3.3 |
| Kickers & Punters** | 4.87 |
| Quarterbacks** | 4.44 |
| Cornerbacks** | 2.94 |
| Wide receivers** | 2.81 |
| Running backs** | 2.57 |
© Statista 2019
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Description
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The statistic depicts the average length of a player's career in the National Football League, considering different aspects influencing the length of a playing career. According to the NFL Players Association the average career length is about 3.3 years. The NFL claims that the average career is about 6 years (for players who make a club's opening day roster in their rookie season).
Average NFL career length – additional information
Players with at least one Pro Bowl appearance usually have the longest career of all NFL players. These players’ careers last for 11.7 years on average, nearly four times longer than the average NFL career. First-round draft picks also have a NFL career length far above average – around nine years. In terms of positions, kickers and punters have the longest NFL career average, as their positions require the least physical contact in comparison to other positions. Quarterbacks are next on the list, with average career length of around 4.4 years. George Blanda, who played both as a kicker and a quarterback, has the longest NFL career of all time, playing for 26 seasons in total.
Quarterbacks not only have a longer career than the average NFL player, but they command the highest salaries in the league. Eight out of ten of the players with the highest salaries in the NFL are quarterbacks. Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo leads all players, with a salary of 24.7 million U.S. dollars in 2017. Tom Brady, drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, has won 25 playoff games during his career, the most ever for a quarterback. Brady has led his team to five Super Bowls titles, placing the Pats amongst the top NFL teams in number of championships, only behind the Steelers.
Show moreAverage NFL career length – additional information
Players with at least one Pro Bowl appearance usually have the longest career of all NFL players. These players’ careers last for 11.7 years on average, nearly four times longer than the average NFL career. First-round draft picks also have a NFL career length far above average – around nine years. In terms of positions, kickers and punters have the longest NFL career average, as their positions require the least physical contact in comparison to other positions. Quarterbacks are next on the list, with average career length of around 4.4 years. George Blanda, who played both as a kicker and a quarterback, has the longest NFL career of all time, playing for 26 seasons in total.
Quarterbacks not only have a longer career than the average NFL player, but they command the highest salaries in the league. Eight out of ten of the players with the highest salaries in the NFL are quarterbacks. Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo leads all players, with a salary of 24.7 million U.S. dollars in 2017. Tom Brady, drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, has won 25 playoff games during his career, the most ever for a quarterback. Brady has led his team to five Super Bowls titles, placing the Pats amongst the top NFL teams in number of championships, only behind the Steelers.
- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- April 2011
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1993 to 2011
- Supplementary notes
-
* A player receives a pension credit for each season in which he spends at least three games on an active/inactive roster and/or injured reserve.
** According to the NFL Players Association.
Source
- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- April 2011
More information
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1993 to 2011
- Supplementary notes
-
* A player receives a pension credit for each season in which he spends at least three games on an active/inactive roster and/or injured reserve.
** According to the NFL Players Association.
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Statistics on "National Football League"
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The most important statistics
- National Football League average franchise value from 2000 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)National Football League - average franchise value 2000-2018
- Franchise value of National Football League teams in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)Value of National Football League franchises 2018
- Total revenue of all National Football League teams from 2001 to 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)*Total revenue of the National Football League 2001-2017
- National Football League revenue by team in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)Revenue of National Football League (NFL) teams 2017
- Operating income of National Football League teams in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)Operating income of National Football League franchises 2017
- Total value of NFL national TV broadcasting rights deals from 2014 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)Total value of NFL national TV broadcast deals 2014-2022
- Average annual value of NFL national TV broadcasting rights deals from 2014 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)Average annual value of NFL national TV broadcast deals 2014-2022
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- Do you follow professional football (NFL)?Share of U.S. consumers following professional football 2017
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- NFL stadiums built since 2000 ranked by total construction costs (in million U.S. dollars)*Construction costs of NFL stadiums built since 2000
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The most important statistics
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- Number of Super Bowls won by NFL team from 1967 to 2019*National Football League: Super Bowl wins by team 2019
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- NFL players ranked by salary and endorsement income in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)Players of the NFL ranked by earnings from salary/bonuses & endorsements 2018
- Players with the most passing yards in NFL history (as of December 30th, 2018)*Players with most passing yards in NFL history 2018
- Players with the most passing touchdowns in NFL history (as of December 30th, 2018)*Players with most passing touchdowns in NFL history 2018
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Statistics on "National Football League"
- National Football League average franchise value from 2000 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Franchise value of National Football League teams in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Total revenue of all National Football League teams from 2001 to 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)*
- National Football League revenue by team in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Operating income of National Football League teams in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Total value of NFL national TV broadcasting rights deals from 2014 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Average annual value of NFL national TV broadcasting rights deals from 2014 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- NFL league and team sponsorship revenue worldwide from 2010 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- National Football League average TV viewership - selected games 2017 (in million viewers)
- Average number of viewers of Thursday Night Football in the United States from 2015 to 2018 (in millions)
- Average number of viewers of ESPN's Monday Night Football in the United States from 2015 to 2018s (in millions)
- Do you follow professional football (NFL)?
- Would you describe yourself as a fan of professional football (NFL)?
- Which team is your favorite team in the NFL?
- Which team do you dislike the most in the NFL?
- Twitter followers of National Football League teams in September 2018 (in millions)
- Facebook fans of National Football League teams (in millions), September 2018
- What is your favorite sport to watch?
- National Football League total attendance at regular season games 2008 to 2018 (in millions)
- NFL average total regular season home attendance per team from 2005 to 2018
- National Football League: total regular season home attendance by team in 2018
- Teams of the NFL ranked by average regular season attendance in the 2018 season
- NFL stadiums built since 2000 ranked by total construction costs (in million U.S. dollars)*
- Sports stadiums of the NFL ranked by value of federal subsidy since 2000 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Teams ranked by playoff appearances in NFL history (as of 2018-19 playoffs)*
- NFL teams ranked by number of wins in the postseason (at the start of the 2018 NFL season)*
- Number of conference championship game appearances of NFL teams (as of January 13th, 2019)
- Teams ranked by Super Bowl appearances in NFL history (as of 2019)*
- Number of Super Bowls won by NFL team from 1967 to 2019*
- Number of Super Bowls hosted by city from 1967 to 2019
- TV viewership of the Super Bowl in the United States from 1990 to 2019 (in millions)
- TV ratings of the Super Bowl in the United States from 1990 to 2019
- Super Bowl advertising revenue from 2003 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Super Bowl average costs of a 30-second TV advertisement from 2002 to 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)*
- Number and length of network TV commercials in the Super Bowl from 2003 to 2018
- Estimated Super Bowl related consumer spending in the United States from 2007 to 2019 (in billion U.S. dollars)*
- Amount wagered on the Super Bowl in sports books in Nevada from 2004 to 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Nevada sports book winnings from the Super Bowl in the United States from 2004 to 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Player salaries in the National Football League 2017/18 season (in million U.S. dollars), by team*
- Average annual player salary in the National Football League by team in 2018/19 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Players with the highest salaries* in the NFL in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- NFL players ranked by salary and endorsement income in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Players with the most passing yards in NFL history (as of December 30th, 2018)*
- Players with the most passing touchdowns in NFL history (as of December 30th, 2018)*
- Players with the most receiving yards in NFL history (as of December 30th, 2018)*
- Players with the most rushing yards in NFL history (as of December 30th, 2018)*
- NFL quarterbacks by number of career playoff wins all-time (as of February 3rd, 2019)
- Would you say you are an avid fan, an occasional follower or not really interested in NFL football?
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- Would you say you are an avid fan, an occasional follower or not really interested in NFL football?
- Price for a soft drink* at National Football League games in the 2018 season, by team (in U.S. dollars)
- Who, if anyone, do you think is most responsible for identifying symptoms and ensuring that the player gets tested for a concussion (mid-game)?*
- Are you more or less likely to recommend a product/service to a friend or family member if that product/service is an official sponsor of the NFL?
- Which NFL conference is more interesting to you?
- To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: An NFL player, who suffered a hit to the head that caused an injury timeout/stoppage in play, should be allowed to return to the game if he never lost consciousness and his facilities appear to be intact*
- Do you think professional NFL players are overpaid/underpaid/paid fairly?
- Overall, to what extent do you think the NFL places a higher priority on player safety or the entertainment value of a game (e.g., let players return to the game after an injury to preserve competitiveness)?*
- If the upcoming NFL season is delayed, what is the likelihood of you watching it when it returns?
- Where are you planning to watch the Super Bowl?
- Number of households with people who attended a National Football League event in the U.S. 2018 to 2020
- With whom are you planning to watch the Super Bowl?
- Following his second Super Bowl win, do you think that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is a better quarterback than his brother, Peyton Manning?
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- National Football League (NFL)
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