Winning in the NFL usually takes a nice balance of established veterans and emerging young players. For the New Orleans Saints, they’re working on the emerging young players part, but they have a ton of established veterans still playing at a quality level. In fact, the Saints were the oldest team in the league last season.
However, New Orleans doesn’t just have a bunch of old guys that’s holding the team back. The Saints veterans are still leading with their play. That was evident in a recent ranking by PFF of the top 30 players in the NFL over the age of 30. New Orleans had two players on the list: Demario Davis at No. 14 and Tyrann Mathieu at No. 22.
Saints defenders Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu ranked in the top 30 players over 30
Demario Davis, who turned 35 in January, is coming off his 12th season in the NFL. He led the Saints in tackles last year, and made his second straight Pro Bowl. John Kosko, who did the ranking for PFF, explained that Davis has been playing some of the best football of his career since he turned 30.
Tyrann Mathieu is a few years younger, turning 32 back on May 13. However, he just finished up his 11th season in the league, and led a really good Saints secondary. Kosko explained that Mathieu has been extremely consistent for New Orleans over the last two years, proving his value as he ages.
It’s no secret that both of their careers are nearing an end; that’s why Davis and Mathieu are locked in on leading the Saints back to a Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons. While both are still playing quality football, it will soon be time to officially hand the baton off. Hopefully, that hand off will come after New Orleans reaches the mountain top.
