Week 3 could see two Hall of Fame quarterbacks go head-to-head for the final time.
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in a marquee NFC matchup Sunday afternoon. Brady and Rodgers are two of the best quarterbacks to ever throw a football, but age will be just as much a storyline as skill when they step on the field at Raymond James Stadium.
Brady has already retired and un-retired in 2022. Rodgers also said this past offseason that he thinks about retirement “all the time.” While there are no specifics about when either player could hang up their cleats, there is no guarantee fans will ever see Brady and Rodgers face off again after Sunday.
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The Packers-Bucs game promises to be memorable, but how about historic? Here is how the Brady-Rodgers matchup stacks up against the oldest QB showdown in league history:
What is the oldest QB matchup in NFL history?
Tom Brady already took part in the oldest quarterback matchup in NFL history.
On Jan. 17, 2021, Brady’s Buccaneers faced Drew Brees’ New Orleans Saints in the NFC divisional round. The 43-year-old Brady and 42-year-old Brees had already set the record for oldest QB matchup during the regular season, and their playoff battle marked the oldest QB matchup in league history. Though the Saints won both regular season contests, the Bucs advanced to the NFC Championship Game – against Rodgers and the Packers – with a 30-20 win in New Orleans.
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Sunday’s matchup will miss the Brady-Brees record by two years, as Brady and Rodgers are a combined 83 years old.
How old is Tom Brady?
Brady takes up a good chunk of those 83 years.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was born on Aug. 3, 1977, and will be 45 years and 53 days old when he takes the field on Sunday. He is five years older than the next-oldest NFL player, 40-year-old Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Jason Peters.
How old is Aaron Rodgers?
Rodgers was born on Dec. 2, 1983, making him 38 years and 297 days old on Sunday.
How many times has Tom Brady played against Aaron Rodgers?
Sunday’s game will be the fifth head-to-head matchup between Brady and Rodgers.
Rodgers won the first matchup as his Packers beat Brady’s New England Patriots by a score of 26-21 at Lambeau Field in Week 13 of the 2014 season. Since then, Brady’s side has dominated.
Brady had one more matchup against Rodgers as a Patriot in 2018 with New England winning 31-17 on Sunday Night Football. The next two games came during the 2020 season after Brady had joined the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay rolled to a 38-10 win at home in Week 6 and earned a berth in Super Bowl LV with a 31-26 win at Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship Game.