NFL: 30 greatest seasons from players 30 and older

NFL: 30 greatest seasons from players 30 and older: 17. Reggie White, 1998

When I think of the greatest defensive players of all-time, Reggie White is one of the first names that comes to mind. The NFL’s second all-time sack leader brought down the quarterback a whopping 198.0 times behind the line of scrimmage and had 12 seasons of 11-plus sacks. If not for a brief retirement in 1999, White would have undoubtedly finished first all-time on the sack list. Instead, that spot now belongs to Bruce Smith.

Still, White was one of the most unstoppable forces to ever step foot on defense. At 6’5” and 291 pounds, he was the ‘J.J. Watt’ of the 80s and 90s – a physically imposing player with the ability to line up at both defensive end and defensive tackle.

Though there are a handful of seasons that you could make the case for, White had some incredible accomplishments at the age of 37 in 1998. Most defensive lineman only dream of earning 15-plus sacks in a season, but White earned 16.0 in his old age. By the end of his career, White would earn 5 seasons of at least 15 sacks and 3 seasons of at least 18 sacks.

Reggie White was an incredibly rare breed of football player with his lethal combination of size, athleticism, and power. The Hall of Fame defensive lineman participated in just one Super Bowl victory in his 16-year career. Ironically enough, it came in 1996 – one of only three seasons in which he failed to record at least 11.0 sacks.