When you think of the very best players in Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise history, Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews is right up there near the top of the list.
Matthews spent his entire career with the Oilers, and then the Titans, after being drafted in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, wearing many hats upfront for the franchise and excelling with all of them.
On top of that, Matthews displayed legendary longevity, as he lasted 19 seasons and played until the age of 40, which is almost unthinkable in this day and age, let alone for an offensive lineman.
Making his career even more impressive is the fact that Matthews was still near the top of his game at his advanced age, as he started all 16 games during his final campaign and made the Pro Bowl.
CBS Sports recently posted an interesting tidbit about Matthews. Despite not making his first Pro Bowl until the age of 27, Matthews still managed to finish tied for the most appearances in the game in NFL history, all of which came in his final 14 seasons.
Crazy, but true:
Bruce Matthews didn't make a Pro Bowl until he was 27 years old… yet no player in NFL history had more appearances (14) than him. pic.twitter.com/Vt1mOPce82
— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) May 14, 2021
At the time of Matthews’ retirement, only Los Angeles Rams great Merlin Olsen had achieved 14 Pro Bowl appearances.
Since then, tight end Tony Gonzalez and quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have joined this group. Brady, who is the only active player on this list, could break the record in 2021.
