Let’s just say Matthew Stafford is still a Detroit Lion at age 40…

Old Man Game

I know, I’m living in a fairy tale world. This is Honolulu Blue-tinted Lasik surgery at its finest. This is a level of optimism that would make Jiminy Cricket groan. There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer.

Like anyone, at any time, Stafford could be suddenly derailed by injuries. He could take the Barry Sanders/Calvin Johnson route. His contract negotiations could go haywire, causing him to take the Ndamukong Suh route.

Allow me to run with this, though.

With Brady as the main example, it’s becoming apparent that the rules on human aging don’t seem to be as strict as they once were. “Old man game” is the new cool, in numerous sports.

Roger Federer turns 36 today. He sleepwalked his way to an 8th Wimbledon title a month ago, without even dropping a set. LeBron James has played 14 NBA seasons and can still hit his head on the rim if he really feels like it. Brady insists that he plans to keep playing until he’s 45, maybe even 50.

Plenty of other long-time NFL starting quarterbacks are following Brady’s lead. Guys like Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Carson Palmer are all pushing into their late thirties now and still going strong. Maybe Stafford holding up in the league until he’s 40 isn’t as absurd as it sounds at first.

Build up a perennial contender and an offensive line, and Stafford may even want to do that in Detroit.