this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
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People were having this conversation in the NFL a few years ago when Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady were all effective into their late 30's and even 40's. Everyone thought it was going to be the new normal until a bunch of other QB's fell off and retired right on schedule.
Turns out it was just a little group of extreme outliers who by random coincidence were all playing at the same time, and human beings still age like human beings. LeBron playing at this level at his age doesn't mean the universe has shifted any more than Jordan or Kareem still balling when they were 39-40 did. Some dudes really are just built different, and top stars usually play longer because they are falling off from a higher peak.
NFL rules shifted between the 90’s and early 2000’s that provided a significant advantage to the passing game with stricter enforcement of pass interference rules, tackling rules, and handling of the quarterback. Comparing what Steve Young and Brett Favre played through to Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady faced is almost apples to oranges.