When the New England Patriots cut 33-year-old, 325-pound defensive lineman Vince Wilfork last year, a lot of folks figured the end was near for the five-time Pro Bowler. But then Wilfork went out and started 16 games for the Houston Texans in 2016, and now he believes he may have a couple years left in him.
“Until I feel like I can’t perform at a certain level or my body can’t take it, or I’m mentally not there anymore, it’ll be time for me to hang it up,” Wilfork recalled saying to Texans assistant coach and former New England teammate Mike Vrabel recently. “But I think I have a couple more good years in me.”
Wilfork was by no means a force in his first year with the Texans, but he was steady in the middle, earning positive Pro Football Focus grades overall and against the run.
Still, this’ll be Wilfork’s age 35 season. And big defensive linemen don’t typically last that long. Only 15 interior defensive linemen in NFL history have started 16 regular-season games at or beyond the age of 35. Only five of those guys made Pro Bowls, and only one — Pat Williams in 2007 and 2008 — did so in the last 40 years.
Wilfork has some long odds to defy, but I wouldn’t put anything past him.
