ranking the nfl's most loyal teams
TRANSCRIPT
The National Football League (NFL) bears the stigma of being the 'Not For Long' league. We wanted to find out which teams value veteran players and coaches the
most, and which teams fall short. We analyzed a number of data points to determine the most loyal teams in the NFL.
MOST LOYALRANKING THE NFL’S
TEAMS
We defined an NFL "veteran" as any player that has played more then 4 years in the league. It's often said that it takes 3 years to fully determine
if a player is worthy of the NFL, which is why we chose 4+ years.
HOW WE DETERMINED LOYALTYRanking Factor #1 AVERAGE VETERAN CAREER LENGTH
Average time a veteran spends on a single team number of years the team has been in the NFL. We wanted to make sure
expansion teams had an equal playing field in the loyalty rankings.
Ranking Factor #2 TEAM QUALITY BY VETERAN PLAYER
Team win/loss percentage total combined veteran years for that team. This is a way of evening the playing field with teams
that kept players because they performed well.
Ranking Factor #3 AVERAGE YEARS PER HEAD COACH
The average amount of years a team employs a head coach. Loyalty doesn't just end with players, ownership also
can be loyal to coaches so we wanted to factor that in.
KEY:
Along with the ranking factors, you’ll find a few extra stats we thought were worth noting. We included playoffs made, division titles, playoff wins
and Super Bowl wins each team has since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
#1
PITTSBURGH
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
MIKE WEBSTER
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
217[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.8[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
28[ DIVISION TITLES ]
21[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
34[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
6
THE EXTRA STATS:
THE RANKING FACTORS:
1974-1988CENTER-GUARD
DRAFTED 5TH ROUND, 125TH OVERALL
4.72 895.3 15.33[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
#2 MINNESOTA
THE RANKING FACTORS:
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
26[ DIVISION TITLES ]
17[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
17[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
213[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.3
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
SCOTT STUDWELL1977-1990
LINEBACKER
DRAFTED 9TH ROUND, 250TH OVERALL
4.63 751.4 5.75THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:#3 CHICAGO
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
216[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.26
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
PATRICK MANNELLY1998-2013
LONG SNAPPER
DRAFTED 6TH ROUND, 189TH OVERALL
4.70 676 5.11
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
14[ DIVISION TITLES ]
10[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
10[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
1
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:#4 CINCINNATI
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
14[ DIVISION TITLES ]
9[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
5[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
233[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.22
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
KEN ANDERSON1971-1986
QUARTERBACK
DRAFTED 3RD ROUND, 67TH OVERALL
5.07 642.4 5.11THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:#5 MIAMI
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
22[ DIVISION TITLES ]
13[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
20[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
2
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
199[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.3
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
DAN MARINO1983-1999
QUARTERBACK
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 27TH OVERALL
4.33 739.86 5.11THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:#6 GREEN BAY
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
20[ DIVISION TITLES ]
12[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
20[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
2
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
203[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.22
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
BRETT FAVRE1992-2007
QUARTERBACK
DRAFTED 2ND ROUND, 33RD OVERALL
4.41 662.6 5.11THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:#7 NEW YORK
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
15[ DIVISION TITLES ]
8[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
20[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
4
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
206[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.97
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
MICHAEL STRAHAN1993-2007
DEFENSIVE END
DRAFTED 2ND ROUND, 40TH OVERALL
4.48 619.92 5.11THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
#8 LOS ANGELES/
OAKLAND
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
18[ DIVISION TITLES ]
12[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
22[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
3
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
212[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.4
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
TIM BROWN1988-2003
WIDE RECEIVER
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 6TH OVERALL
4.61 740.92 3.29THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
#9 SAN FRANCISCO
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
24[ DIVISION TITLES ]
19[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
30[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
5
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
208[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.21
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
JERRY RICE1985-2000
WIDE RECEIVER
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 16TH OVERALL
4.52 733.86 3.83THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
188[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.56[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
27[ DIVISION TITLES ]
19[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
33[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
5[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
ED “TOO TALL” JONES1974-1989
DEFENSIVE END
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 1ST OVERALL
4.09 726.83 5.75
#10 DALLAS
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
BRUCE MATTHEWS1983-2001
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 9TH OVERALL
THE RANKING FACTORS:
#11 HOUSTON/
TENNESSEE
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
210[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.02[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
16[ DIVISION TITLES ]
5[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
12[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
4.57 615.57 4.18THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
#12 NEW ENGLAND
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
193[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.44
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
TOM BRADY2000-PRESENT
QUARTERBACK
DRAFTED 6TH ROUND, 199TH OVERALL
4.20 677.44 3.54THE EXTRA STATS:
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
22[ DIVISION TITLES ]
17[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
28[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
4
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:#13 DENVER
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
188[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.26[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
22[ DIVISION TITLES ]
15[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
23[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
3[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
JOHN ELWAY1983-1998
QUARTERBACK
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 1ST OVERALL
4.09 670.9 4.60THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
#14 PHILADELPHIA
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
196[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.73[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
20[ DIVISION TITLES ]
9[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
15[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
BRIAN DAWKINS1996-2008
DEFENSIVE BACK
DRAFTED 2ND ROUND, 61ST OVERALL
4.26 579.47 4.18THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
TAMPA BAY#15
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
181[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.58[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
10[ DIVISION TITLES ]
6[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
6[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
1[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
RONDE BARBER1997-2012
DEFENSIVE BACK
DRAFTED 3RD ROUND, 66TH OVERALL
4.53 402.9 4.44THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
SEATTLE
#16
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
173[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.73[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
15[ DIVISION TITLES ]
9[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
15[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
1[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
STEVE LARGENT1976-1989
WIDE RECEIVER
DRAFTED 4TH ROUND, 117TH OVERALL
4.33 488.06 4.44THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
KANSAS CITY
#17
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
196[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.01[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
14[ DIVISION TITLES ]
6[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
4[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
WILL SHIELDS1993-2006
GUARD
DRAFTED 3RD ROUND, 74TH OVERALL
4.26 571.33 3.54THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
DETROIT
#18
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
207[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.06[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
11[ DIVISION TITLES ]
3[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
1[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
JASON HANSON1992-2012
KICKER
DRAFTED 2ND ROUND, 56TH OVERALL
4.50 507.87 3.29THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
WASHINGTON
#19
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
188[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.15[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
18[ DIVISION TITLES ]
8[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
20[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
3[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
DARRELL GREEN1983-2002
DEFENSIVE BACK
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 28TH OVERALL
4.09 627.1 3.83THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
BALTIMORE
#20
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
83[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.61[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
10[ DIVISION TITLES ]
4[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
15[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
2[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
RAY LEWIS1996-2012
LINEBACKER
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 26TH OVERALL
4.15 261.42 6.67THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
HOUSTON
#21
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
67[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.07[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
3[ DIVISION TITLES ]
3[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
2[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
ANDRE JOHNSON2003-2014
WIDE RECEIVER
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 3RD OVERALL
4.79 133.28 3.50THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
ST. LOUIS /LOS ANGELES#
22[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
194[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.18[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
19[ DIVISION TITLES ]
11[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
16[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
1[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
JACKIE SLATER1976-1995
OFFENSIVE TACKLE AND GUARD
DRAFTED 3RD ROUND, 86TH OVERALL
4.22 594.7 3.29THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
BUFFALO
#23
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
200[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.10[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
13[ DIVISION TITLES ]
7[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
12[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
ANDRE REED1985-1999
WIDE RECEIVER
DRAFTED 4TH ROUND, 86TH OVERALL
4.35 564.4 3.07THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
THE RANKING FACTORS:
NEW YORK
#24
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
201[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
6.13[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
12[ DIVISION TITLES ]
2[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
10[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
MO LEWIS1991-2003
LINEBACKER
DRAFTED 3RD ROUND, 63RD OVERALL
4.37 553.17 2.88THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
JACKSONVILLE
#25
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
6[ DIVISION TITLES ]
2[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
5[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
88[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.69
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
BRAD MEESTER2000-2013
CENTER
DRAFTED 2ND ROUND, 60TH OVERALL
4.19 253 4.20THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
CAROLINA
#26
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
7[ DIVISION TITLES ]
6[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
9[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
82[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.72
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
JOHN KASAY1995-2010
KICKER
DRAFTED 4TH ROUND, 98TH OVERALL
3.90 218.1 5.25THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
ST. LOUIS /ARIZONA#
27[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
8[ DIVISION TITLES ]
5[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
6[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
196[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.81
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
DAN DIERDORF1971-1983
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
DRAFTED 2ND ROUND, 43RD OVERALL
4.26 469.3 3.07THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
LOS ANGELES/SAN DIEGO#
28
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
13[ DIVISION TITLES ]
10[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
10 0[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
192[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.77
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
DAVID BINN19949-2010
LONG SNAPPER
UNDRAFTED
4.17 524.7 3.07THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
ATLANTA
#29
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
12[ DIVISION TITLES ]
5[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
7[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
190[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.93
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
MIKE KENN1978-1994
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 13TH OVERALL
4.13 499.94 3.07THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
NEW ORLEANS
#30
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
10[ DIVISION TITLES ]
5[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
7[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
1
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
187[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.94
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
MORTEN ANDERSEN1982-1994
KICKER
DRAFTED 4TH ROUND, 86TH OVERALL
4.07 493.95 3.29THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
BALTIMORE/INDIANAPOLIS#
31
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
22[ DIVISION TITLES ]
15[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
18 2[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
187[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.83
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
REGGIE WAYNE2001-2014
WIDE RECEIVER
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 30TH OVERALL
4.07 538.95 2.88THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
CLEVELAND
#32
[ PLAYOFFS MADE ]
11[ DIVISION TITLES ]
6[ PLAYOFF WINS ]
4[ SUPER BOWL WINS ]
0
[ # OF VETERANS THAT PLAYED ON TEAM ]
166[ AVG. # OF YEARS VETERANS PLAYED ON TEAM ]
5.73
[ LONGEST-PLAYING TEAM MEMBER ]
CLAY MATTHEWS1978-1993
LINEBACKER
DRAFTED 1ST ROUND, 12TH OVERALL
3.61 413.7 2.88THE RANKING FACTORS:
THE EXTRA STATS:
[ CAREER LENGTH ] [ TEAM QUALITY ] [ HEAD COACH YEARS ]
OTHER SOURCES:HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/NATIONAL_FOOTBALL_LEAGUE#CLUBS
HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/NFL_STANDINGS_SINCE_AFL%E2%80%93NFL_MERGER