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Ben Watson, and Career Games at Older Ages

Ben Watson has played 153 regular season games, and 11 more in the postseason. Yet it was in his most recent game that he set his career high with 127 receiving yards. It was just the third 100-yard game of his career, and topped his previous career high by 20 yards. That just doesn’t happen to a player who was 34 years, 301 days old at kickoff…. right?

I looked at all players to enter the NFL since 1960 who have at least 500 career receiving yards and played in 100 career regular season games. Among that group, here were the three players who, prior to 2015, set their career-high in receiving yards at nearly 35 years old or older.

  • In week 2 of the 2000 season, Cris Carter set a career high with 168 receiving yards, gaining one more yards than he did in a game in Arizona six years earlier. Carter was 34 years, 290 days old that day, so Watson narrowly edges him here and is the new #3 on this list.
  • In 1984, while playing for the Packers, James Lofton had the first 200-yard game of his career. Seven years later, as a member of the Bills, Lofton caught 8 passes for 220 yards in a win against the Bengals, which included 48- and 74-yard touchdowns. That went down as the greatest game in Lofton’s career, as measured by receiving yards, and it came at the age of 35 years and 108 days.
  • In December 2000, Tony Gonzalez gained 147 receiving yards. That stood as his career high for nearly 13 years, until he gained 149 yards in a 2013 game against the Patriots. Gonzalez was 37 years, 214 days old that day, when he put up an incredible 12-149-2 stat line.

The table below shows the 33 players who meet the above criteria and who set their career high in receiving yards at age 32 or older: [1]Note that this list is through 2014, although I obviously manually added Watson. Off the top of my head, though, I don’t think anyone else from 2015 qualifies.

RkPlayerYearTmOppWkBoxscoreRec YdAge
1Tony Gonzalez2013ATLNWE4Boxscore14937.6
2James Lofton1991BUFCIN8Boxscore22035.3
3Ben Watson2015NORATL6Boxscore12734.8
4Cris Carter2000MINMIA2Boxscore16834.8
5Steve Tasker1996BUFNYJ13Boxscore16034.6
6Rod Smith2004DENATL8Boxscore20834.5
7Shannon Sharpe2002DENKAN7Boxscore21434.3
8Mike Sellers2009WASATL9Boxscore5634.3
9Joey Galloway2005TAMDET4Boxscore16633.9
10Billy Johnson1985ATLNOR7Boxscore15333.7
11Karl Williams2004ARIATL3Boxscore9033.5
12David Patten2007NORATL14Boxscore12233.3
13Tim Brown1999OAKNYJ7Boxscore19033.3
14Jerry Rice1995SFOMIN16Boxscore28933.2
15Brian Mitchell2001PHIARI4Boxscore8233.1
16Bob Christian2001ATLIND14Boxscore6633.1
17Steve Largent1987SEADET5Boxscore26133.1
18Charle Young1983SEASDG6Boxscore14032.7
19Bob Chandler1981OAKSDG16Boxscore12832.7
20Chris Warren2000DALWAS3Boxscore8632.7
21Mosi Tatupu1987NWEPHI11Boxscore4132.6
22Jerame Tuman2008ARICAR8Boxscore4132.6
23Bob Klein1979SDGDEN16Boxscore6932.4
24Frank Lewis1979BUFDET9Boxscore19032.3
25Pete Metzelaars1992BUFSFO2Boxscore11332.3
26Ed McCaffrey2000DENSDG12Boxscore14832.3
27Mack Strong2003SEACLE13Boxscore5632.2
28Reggie Rucker1979CLEMIA12Boxscore17732.2
29John Stallworth1984PITKAN1Boxscore16732.1
30Mickey Shuler1988NYJKAN5Boxscore15232.1
31Daimon Shelton2004BUFBAL7Boxscore2632.1
32Chris Walsh2000MINGNB16Boxscore4432.0
33Maurice Morris2011DETGNB12Boxscore8132.0

And here are the players who had their career high in receiving yards at age 23 or younger (although note that Reggie Bush and Anquan Boldin are still active):

RkPlayerYearTmOppWkBoxscoreRec YdAge
1Edgerrin James1999INDDAL8Boxscore9221.2
2Rodney Hampton1990NYGDAL4Boxscore6521.5
3Emmitt Smith1990DALRAM11Boxscore11721.5
4Michael Haddix1983PHIWAS2Boxscore5421.7
5Larry Csonka1968MIAKAN3Boxscore6221.8
6Jerome Bettis1993RAMCHI18Boxscore7121.9
7Reggie Bush2006NORCHI20Boxscore13221.9
8Louis Lipps1984PITKAN1Boxscore18322.1
9Mike Ditka1961CHIGNB9Boxscore19022.1
10Mark Carrier1987TAMNOR12Boxscore21222.1
11Ernest Givins1986HOUPIT11Boxscore15622.2
12John Mackey1963BALMIN13Boxscore14422.2
13Barry Sanders1990DETKAN6Boxscore13522.2
14Cleo Miller1974KANMIN14Boxscore6622.3
15Johnny Robinson1960DTXBUF14Boxscore13022.3
16Les Josephson1964RAMCHI10Boxscore8222.3
17Darnay Scott1994CINSEA10Boxscore15722.3
18Josh Reed2002BUFMIN2Boxscore11022.4
19Mark Bavaro1985NYGCIN6Boxscore17622.5
20Curt Warner1983SEAKAN1Boxscore7222.5
21Mark Smolinski1961BALSFO14Boxscore8022.6
22Bill Brooks1986INDNYJ11Boxscore17722.6
23Sammy White1976MINDET9Boxscore21022.6
24Dan Reeves1966DALNYG1Boxscore12022.7
24Charles White1980CLEKAN3Boxscore10022.7
26Stanley Pritchett1996MIANWE1Boxscore7722.7
27Jim Obradovich1975NYGSFO14Boxscore5522.7
28Randy Moss1999MINCHI10Boxscore20422.7
29Todd Heap2002BALPIT17Boxscore14622.8
30Ronnie Bull1962CHIDAL10Boxscore9022.8
31Franco Harris1972PITOAK15Boxscore9622.8
32Jason Dunn1996PHIATL4Boxscore5822.9
33Mike Alstott1996TAMNOR13Boxscore9122.9
33Anquan Boldin2003ARIDET1Boxscore21722.9
35Jermaine Lewis1997BALTEN4Boxscore12422.9
36Charles Johnson1994PITSDG17Boxscore16523.0
36Gerry Ellis1980GNBPIT9Boxscore10623.0

Finally, one other bit of trivia: Rick Upchurch, Louis Lipps, Curt Warner, Stanley Pritchett, and Boldin all set their career highs in receiving yards in their first game.

References

References
1 Note that this list is through 2014, although I obviously manually added Watson. Off the top of my head, though, I don’t think anyone else from 2015 qualifies.
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