Any Room in Today’s NFL For a Comeback?

By Michael Natelli | Jun 20, 2015

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It was quite a run. Could it actually be getting ready to continue?

Not really. Still, on Friday morning former NFL great Herschel Walker caught some eyeballs (and a lot of ears on the national airwaves) that at age 53, he could still play in the league. The former Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles performer made that pretty clear on “Boomer & Carton” (and documented here by William McFadden of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

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“There is not a doubt in my mind, if I played today, I (could) contribute to a team,” said Walker to Carton during the interview. He later added that the last time that he ran a 40-yard dash that “he ran a 4.3.”

Walker cited the increasingly popular running back-by-committee approach as his reasoning for why he could still last at his age. The decreased workload, he claims, would keep him fresh. He also voiced his desire to return kickoffs.

Dec 14, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Steven Jackson (39) walks off of the field after their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Georgia Dome. The Steelers won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

But relax, this isn’t happening. With teams valuing the running back position less by the day, and the array of talented veteran backs currently available (Steven Jackson, Pierre Thomas, Chris Johnson, just to name a few), there is a better chance that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson suits up in Arlington for the Texas Rangers than Walker ever suiting up again for the Cowboys.

These types of comments aren’t unusual. Running back Tiki Barber, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green and quarterback Kurt Warner and other retired greats have voiced confidence that they could play post-retirement, and with quarterback Brett Favre being the exception, the comments never lead to anything.

With Walker’s age and position of choice, the odds decrease even further.

Would the 53-year-old Walker still be better than this armchair quarterback who is writing him off? Sure. I bet he makes flag football league defensive linemen miss like it’s no one’s business.

But he’s not coming back to the NFL, so let’s just put this one to rest. Shall we?

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