Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
With most offseason content focused on young up-and-comers, we wanted to highlight some of the league’s best vets.
Rising stars get a lot of love in pro sports, and rightfully so. It’s easy to daydream about the type of player a young athlete can become, and easier to praise young athletes who have already arrived.
Kids are great. And some NFL stars — Tyreek Hill, Trent Williams, Chris Jones — have admirably extended their prime into their 30s.
Today, we simply want to recognize (aging) players who deserve it. To be eligible, players must be at least 30 by the season opener on September 5th, 2024.
Smith is a big-game hunter. He ranks top-5 in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating on deep passes since becoming Seattle’s starter two seasons ago.
He’s led the league in PFF’s ‘big-time throw’ rate on such throws each year, which is particularly impressive because he also ranked outside the top 10 in ‘turnover-worthy play’ both seasons. To produce positive plays without sacrificing negative ones is a sign of great quarterbacking.
Meanwhile, Smith was the only passer with a top-5 on-target rate and a bottom-5 sack rate when pressured in 2023, per Sports Info Solutions. He attacks downfield within the play design rather than inviting the chaos of backyard football.
The 2022 Comeback Player of the Year took a while to reach this point — he started just five games from 2015 to 2021 — but Smith has more than capitalized on his late-career opportunity. He’s poised for a third straight Pro Bowl season with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Geno Smith can be such a fun watch because of his sheer willingness to try and push the ball. Especially out of Empty formations.
Here Smith throws the Wheel right at his WR is breaking. Because of his anticipation and the zip he puts on the ball, the defenders have no chance. pic.twitter.com/lRbMqrREVw
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) June 13, 2023
A former track champion, Mostert went undrafted in 2015 and took a few years to find his footing, not scoring his first NFL touchdown until 2018. In the half-decade since, he’s been one of the most efficient rushers in the league.
Mostert ranks sixth in yards per carry (5.1) among 110 qualifying running backs since 2019 and his career 5.2 yards per carry is fourth among running backs in the Super Bowl era. He also ranks 11th in success rate (52.9%), which shows he isn’t just smacking a home run once or twice a game. Mostert can get on base as well as he can go yard.
Last year was his best season yet. The nine-year vet paced the league in rushing touchdowns (18) and was tied for first in total touchdowns (21) with Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey. He cleared 1,000 yards this past season to silence questions about his durability and cement himself as one of the sport’s best backs.
Eagles cornerback Darius Slay recently called Cooper “the most underappreciated receiver in the league” on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast. The five-time Pro Bowler is certainly slept on.
The quarterback situation in Cleveland hasn’t helped his obscurity. With Deshaun Watson under center, the Browns have been inconsistent on offense, to put it lightly.
On throws 10-plus yards downfield last year, Cooper saw the sixth-lowest rate of catchable targets (57%, via Football Insights). However, he ranked 13th among 75 qualifying wide receivers in on-target catch rate on such throws (89.5%), per Sports Info Solutions. He also finished third in yards per reception and eighth in Wins Above Replacement en route to a career-high 1,250 receiving yards.
The former Bama star has always been known for his ability to get open, and that skill hasn’t faded.
Amari Cooper Targets
Week 16, 2023
16 Targets
11 Receptions
265 Yards
2 TDs
If there was a route running Hall of Fame, not only would Cooper be first ballot, but he would also have to be on the selection committee. pic.twitter.com/ybplIo3zij
— Mike Vannucci (@WRCoachVannucci) January 1, 2024
Despite his 5’ 9” stature — sixth percentile for an NFL cornerback prospect — Williams recorded the second-most pass deflections (19) and seventh-most interceptions (4) of any player in 2023.
In zone coverages last season, he ranked top-20 among 132 qualifying corners in the following metrics: passer rating allowed, catch rate allowed, forced incompletion rate, snaps per target and snaps per reception. He finished fourth in PFF coverage grade and sixth in Expected Points Added.
Williams’ size does hinder his ability to win at the line of scrimmage and the catch point. However, as illustrated by his 62 career pass deflections (fifth-most among all players since 2018), his route recognition and quick burst give him time to expertly box out receivers. If you let Williams align a few yards off the line of scrimmage — where he can diagnose and make plays as well as anyone — good things will happen.
New Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula isn’t expected to overhaul a defense that’s ranked top-8 in zone coverage usage in the past four seasons. Williams should continue to excel.
After moving bodies for Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense, Mason entered the league in 2015 as a dynamic run blocker, and he’s made strides over his career to become a plus pass protector. In the final era of the Patriots dynasty, Mason won two Super Bowls and appeared in another.
Mason missed multiple games from 2018 to 2021 but has re-cemented himself as one of the best guards in football in recent years. Whether playing in man or zone schemes, executing double teams, making plays in space, or blocking 300-pounders single-handily, Mason is as polished as any other NFL lineman. Few interior blockers boast the experience, versatility and athleticism of his caliber.
From his second season to his final year with the Patriots, the only guard with a higher PFF grade than Mason was future first-ballot Hall of Famer Zack Martin.
New England shipped him off in 2022 to Tampa Bay, where Mason predictably shined next to right tackle Tristan Wirfs. Once known as one of Bill Belichick’s best-ever draft picks, Mason is now a vital veteran for a Texans team looking to win its first-ever Lombardi.
