NFL: 30 greatest seasons from players 30 and older

NFL: 30 greatest seasons from players 30 and older: 25. John Riggins, 1983

Here’s a name you might not have expected. John Riggins was a terrific football player during his time, but he wasn’t a guy who had spectacular production year in and year out. In fact, Riggins didn’t have a 1,000-yard rushing season until his fifth year in the league, and he rushed for 1,000 yards just one time in his first seven NFL seasons.

Apart from quarterbacks, you don’t often see players whose late-career production is better than what they were able to accomplish in their 20s, but that was the case for Riggins. The old-school, hard-nosed runner was fortunate to experience good health late in his career.

After spending his first 5 seasons with the New York Jets, Riggins joined Washington where he would eventually go on to become the feature back. Remarkably, his best NFL season and his only All-Pro honor didn’t arrive until the age of 34 in 1983.

During that season, Riggins played in 15 games and fought tooth and nail for every inch of ground on the football field. While his 3.6 yards per carry was modest at best, it wasn’t for a lack of effort. What Riggins was able to do, however, was rack up 1,347 rushing yards and a league-high 24 rushing touchdowns. To this day, his 1983 season remains one of the best we have seen from a running back over the age of 30.