8 Oldest Quarterback Matchups in NFL History
Summary
A recent game between Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, both in their 40s, highlights some of the oldest quarterback matchups in NFL history. The record is held by Tom Brady and Drew Brees, whose 2021 playoff clash combined for 85 years and 172 days. Brees won their regular-season meetings, but Brady triumphed in the playoffs, leading to a Super Bowl win while Brees retired shortly after.
Other notable pairings include the 2007 “Senior Bowl” between Brett Favre and Vinny Testaverde (82 years, 44 days), and a 1998 game featuring John Elway and Warren Moon (80 years, 67 days). Testaverde appears frequently on this list, having also faced older quarterbacks like Kurt Warner and Steve DeBerg, who famously came out of retirement to start at age 44.
When Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco tangled on Thursday Night Football, it was a rare matchup between two quarterbacks in their 40’s. But were they the oldest players to start against each other in NFL history? Let’s take a look at the oldest quarterback matchups in recent memory.
(Jan. 17, 2021) Tom Brady and Drew Brees: 85 years, 172 days
This duo actually takes the top three spots because they met three times that season, twice in the regular season and once in the playoffs. Tom Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and clashed with Drew Brees as division rivals. Brees won both regular season games but Brady came out on top when it mattered the most, the playoffs. For Brees it was his final loss of his Hall of Fame career as he announced his retirement a couple months later while Brady would go on to win another Super Bowl.
(Oct. 16, 2025) Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers: 84 years, 226 days
Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco both spent more than a decade with one franchise, Green Bay and Baltimore before parting ways. Rodgers joined the Steelers after a failed run with the Jets while Flacco is on his sixth team in seven years after leaving Baltimore. Both players turned back the clock for at least one night as Rodgers threw for 249 yards and 4 touchdowns while Flacco threw for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns for the victory.
(Nov. 18, 2007) Vinny Testaverde and Brett Favre: 82 years, 44 days
In November 2007 Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers hosted Vinny Testaverde and the Carolina Panthers. Dubbed as the “Senior Bowl,” Testaverde was 44 years old while Favre was 38, making it the oldest starting quarterback duo in any game in NFL history at that time. The Pack won 31-17 as Favre tossed 3 touchdowns 218 yards while Testaverde had 258 yards, a couple of TDs and two interceptions. Testaverde retired at the end of the season while Favre played three more seasons with the Jets and Vikings.
(Oct. 14, 2007) Vinny Testaverde-Kurt Warner: 80 years, 84 days
Testaverde actually made history earlier that season when the Panthers faced the Arizona Cardinals with Kurt Warner as the starting QB. Warner was 36 and in with his third team after
St. Louis Rams and the New York Giants. Testaverde and the Panthers would score 16 unanswered points in the final quarter for the 25-10. Testaverde had 206 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions while Warner started the game but got hurt on the first drive and did not return. Warner would play two more seasons with Arizona and retire in 2009.
(Oct. 11, 1998) John Elway-Warren Moon: 80 years, 67 days
In 1998, the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks played in the same division where John Elway and Warren Moon met in a battle of the ‘oldtimers.’ Elway went 13-for-27 passing for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while Moon had 154 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The Broncos went on that season to repeat as Super Bowl champions and Elway called it quits. Meanwhile, Moon stuck around for two more seasons with the Chiefs, but only played three games during that time before retiring.
(Dec. 2, 2007) Vinny Testaverde-Trent Dilfer: 79 years, 283 days
Well, Vinny Testaverde is back and once again, it’s a game in 2007 when he faced Trent Dilfer and the San Francisco 49ers. Testaverde completed 17 passes 169 yards and 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. But his counterpart was even worse, 14-for-29 with 171 yards and two touchdowns, but he finished with four interceptions.
(Oct. 25, 1998) Vinny Testaverde-Steve DeBerg: 79 years, 260 days
Testaverde is back again but this game was 9 years earlier and he still makes the list. But
Steve DeBerg, who originally retired in 1993 came back in 1998 when he was 44 years old and was thrust into the starters spot after Chris Chandler couldn’t play. Testaverde went 16-for-29 for 206 yards with two touchdowns. DeBerg finished 9-for-20, 117 yards and an interception. It was his only start that season. DeBerg was the oldest player on a Super Bowl roster (45 years, 12 days) when the Falcons faced the Denver Broncos. Coincidentally, DeBerg and Elway would retire after the end of Super Bowl XXXIII.
(Dec. 5, 1993) Phil Simms-Steve DeBerg: 78 years, 352 days
Steve DeBerg was making the list six years before retiring when he and Phil Simms met in a game of two of the league’s elite teams at the time. DeBerg and his Dolphins were 9-2 while Simms and the Giants entered the game at 8-3. DeBerg was 26-of-41 with 365 yards, 2 touchdowns and two picks but Simms would get the last laugh going 17-for-24 for 257 yards and a touchdown and more importantly, a 19-14 win. Simms would retire after that season.
