According to the NFL Players Association the average career length is about 3.3 years. The NFL claims that the average career length is 6 years for players who make a team's opening day roster in their rookie season. The difference between the two figures makes sense as the players that give the NFL a shot but never actually have an NFL career are the player's that keep the numbers low. Some may only last a year or two in the league but so many never make it to the starting line. There have been 17 NFL seasons since the 1998 NFL Draft. Three players selected in that draft will be entering their 18th NFL seasons. That's a very long football career by any measure. Two of those players are among the best to ever play the game. When they retire they will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years later.
The 3 players that remain from the 1998 NFL Draft:
Peyton Manning
Charles Woodson
Matthew Hasselbeck
Manning and Woodson are the two that will be honored in Canton five years after they retire. Hasselbeck is a fine quarterback. He's had an excellent career. He led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XL. He just hasn't had a career like Manning or Woodson.
It should be acknowledged that Manning missed all of the 2011 season due to neck surgery and recovery.
The 1998 NFL Draft was a high quality draft. Randy Moss is another future Hall of Fame player selected in the first round. There were also an impressive number of football players that managed NFL careers of at least ten years. Here they are with their final NFL season:
Peyton Manning
Charles Woodson
Matthew Hasselbeck
Patrick Mannelly, 2013
Keith Brooking, 2012
Takeo Spikes, 2012
Vonnie Holiday, 2012
Randy Moss, 2012
Charlie Batch, 2012
Matt Birk, 2012
Olin Kreutz, 2011
Hines Ward, 2011
Fred Taylor, 2010
Alan Faneca, 2010
Flozell Adams, 2010
DeShea Townsend, 2010
Ephraim Salaam, 2010
Greg Ellis, 2009
Tra Thomas, 2009
Leonard Little, 2009
Jeremiah Trotter, 2009
Ahman Green, 2009
Mike Goff, 2009
Allen Rossum, 2009
Chris Draft, 2009
R.W. McQuarters, 2008
Corey Chavous, 2008
Patrick Surtain, 2008
Brian Kelly, 2008
Samari Rolle, 2008
Todd Weimer, 2008
Jeremy Newberry, 2008
Brian Griese, 2008
Michael Pittman, 2008
Jason Fabini, 2008
John Wade, 2008
Kyle Turley, 2007
Brian Simmons, 2007
Donovin Darius, 2007
Anthony Clement, 2007
Joe Jurevicius, 2007
Greg Spires, 2007
Steve McKinney, 2007
Michael Myers, 2007
Shawn Barber, 2007
Tim Dwight, 2007
Lance Schulters, 2007
Jason Simmons, 2007
Benji Olson, 2007
Chris Liwienski, 2007
50 football players. Nearly an entire team of football players that managed a 10+-year NFL career. There's also some terrific players in this list beyond those already mentioned. Hines Ward and Alan Faneca will have serious Hall of Fame support. Maybe Fred Taylor too. Takeo Spikes, Keith Brooking, Matt Birk, Olin Kreutz, Patrick Surtain, Samari Rolle, Kyle Turley, and Donovin Darius, and several others had terrific careers. Corey Chavous was fantastic in 2003 for the Minnesota Vikings. He was the best player on that team and at times looked like the only defensive player that was interested in playing each game. Only fans of the Chicago Bears and long snappers likely know Patrick Mannelly. He had a 16-year NFL career! It just goes to show what you can do with hard work and a willingness to view the football world upside-down.
By comparison, the 1999 NFL Draft has 0 active players entering the 2015 NFL season.
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