By Bill Speros Aug 31st, 2023 2:37 PM EDT | 9 mins

The New York Jets have the oldest player and overall roster in the NFL heading into the 2023 NFL season. 

The players on the Jets 53-man roster average age is 27 years, 4 months, 2 days old as of September 1. That put them ahead of the New Orleans Saints, who check in at 27 years, 2 months, 23 days. QB Aaron Rodgers is the NFL's elder statesman, taking the title from the retired-for-good (we think) Tom Brady. Rodgers is 39 years, 8 months, 30 days old as of September 1.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gone all-in on their post-Brady rebuild. The Bucs are the youngest team in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. Tampa Bay has 13 rookies on its initial 53-man roster. The most in the NFL. Tampa Bay was the oldest team in the NFL a year ago. 

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Bookies.com examined each of the 53-man rosters for all 32 teams following the final roster cuts on August 1 and the waiver wire period. All ages listed are as of September 1.

We did the math (with some help) on each of the 1,696 players listed to determine the mean age for each team, and the youngest and oldest rosters in the NFL.

The youngest player in the NFL as of September 1 is Arizona rookie linebacker B.J. Ojulari. The LSU product is just 20 years, 4 months, 28 days old. Ojulari is one of four players in the NFL as of September 1 who has yet to turn 21. 

Among the players not included here is Jonathan Taylor, who is on the Colts' PUP list. The Colts were not able to trade him before the August 31 roster deadline. Nick Bosa has yet to report to the 49ers because he and the team have yet to reach a contract extension. He, too, is not included in our calculations. 

This is the first time since Brady turned 40 ahead of the 2017 season that the NFL does not have a player 40 years old or over on any of its rosters. 
 

2023 NFL Season - Average Roster Age 

Here is the list of all 32 NFL teams ranked by average roster age from oldest to youngest. The oldest team - the New Orleans Saints - are listed first. 

NOTE: The arithmetic was performed using an Excel formula to determine the difference in days between each player’s birthdate as of September 1. Our algorithm converted that number into years, months, and days. We used the initial 53-man rosters set by each team after the 4 p.m. August 30 cutdown deadline and all waiver wire claims. 

NFL Teams By Age: Inside The Numbers

The Buccaneers are, by far, the youngest team in the NFL with an average roster age of 25 years, 5 months and 1 day. A year ago, their average roster age was 27 years, 5 months, 13 days. The second-youngest team on our list this year is the Green Bay Packers, Without Rodgers, their average age fell to 25 years, 7 months, 2 days. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are the consensus betting favorite to repeat as NFL champions. They are right in the sweet spot on our list. The Chiefs are 17th out of the 32 NFL teams with an average roster age of 26 years, 4 months, 18 days. 

The Philadelphia Eagles stand as the betting favorite to win the NFC. Multiple members of their offensive core remain under 27. They include QB Jalen Hurts (25 years, 0 months, 24 days), RB D'Andre Swift (24 years, 7 months, 17 days), WR Quez Watkins (25 years, 2 months, 24 days) and WR A.J. Brown (26 years, 2 months, 3 days). 

The Cincinnati Bengals have just one player, OL Ted Karras, over the age of 30. They, too, boast a young core of offensive skill players. WRs Tee Higgins (24 years, 7 months, 13 days) and Ja'Marr Chase (23 years, 6 months, 2 days) are under 25. QB Joe Burrow, meanwhile, is just 26 years, 8 months, and 21 days. 

Oldest & Youngest Players: By The Numbers

In addition to Rodgers, the Jets have three other players 37 years or older. That's the most in the NFL. NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes will be 27 years, 11 months, 21 days old when he and the Chiefs begin the season on Thursday, September 7 at home against the Lions. 

10 Oldest NFL Players In 2023 

Here are the 10 oldest players (with their ages in years, months, and days) in the NFL according to our roster survey and their ages as of September 1. They are listed in descending order by age. 

10 Youngest NFL Players In 2023 

Here are the 10 youngest players (with their age in years, months, and days) in the NFL according to our roster survey and their ages as of September 1. They listed in ascending  order by age. 

How Old Is The Average NFL Player?

According to our data, the average age of every NFL player as of September 1 is 26 years, 4 months, 22 days. That translates to a birthdate of April 9, 1997.

There are six teams who average roster age is below 26 years of age. There are 24 whose average roster age is between 26 and 27 years old. Two are over 27 years. 

Major Changes Since 2022

Last season, the Buccaneers' 53-man roster had an average age of 27 years, 5 months, and 13 days when the NFL season began. Age did not suit the Buccaneers, who stumbled to an NFC South title and an 8-9 regular season record before losing to Dallas 31-14 in the Wild Card round.  

The New Orleans Saints had the second-oldest average roster age, just 11 days behind the Buccaneers at 27 years, 5 months and 2 days. They missed the playoffs. 

The Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots rounded out our top five oldest teams. They were also the only teams whose rosters averaged at least 27 years of age. They, too, all missed the postseason. 

The youngest team on our list was the Cleveland Browns. Their 53-man roster averaged 25 years, 4 months, and 11 days old. They missed the playoffs, too.