The NFL used to view running backs hitting the age of 30 as the twilight of their careers.
That certainly isn’t the case for Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry, who at age 30 last season erupted for the most rushing yards (1,921) in a season in NFL history by a player 30 or older. That figure ranked as the second most in the league in 2024 behind only NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley’s 2,005 rushing yards. Henry also co-led the league in rushing touchdowns (16) while averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry, which led all running backs this past season.
That’s why the Ravens rewarded the 6-foot-3 behemoth with a two-year, $30 million extension with $25 million fully guaranteed that will keep him in Baltimore through his age-33 season in 2027.
That said, was it worth it for the Ravens to pay the aging five-time Pro Bowler now instead after 2025 right before Henry was set to become a free agent? Could Henry’s production be ready fall off a cliff, or will he remain one of the NFL’s best backs at age 31 in 2025, at age 32 in 2026 and age 33 in 2027?
Let’s take a look back at the top-10 rushing seasons by a running back at the age of 30 or older throughout NFL history to see what they say about Henry’s projected future production over the life of his new deal and if what Baltimore did was worth it.
10. Bears RB Walter Payton, age 30 (1983) — 1,421 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 1984: Led NFL with 1,684 rushing yards at 31
- 1985: Ran for 1,551 rushing yards at 32
- 1986: Ran for 1,333 rushing yards at 33
- 1987: *Retired after rushing for 533 yards at 34
The Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher (16,726 career rushing yards) following the 1987 season for a reason. “Sweetness” refused to slow down into his 30s. No, Chicago didn’t make the postseason in 1984 despite Payton’s efforts, but that had more to do with quarterback Jim McMahon throwing more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12). His next two seasons after this one are further down this top 10 list, a testament to Payton’s greatness.
9. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, age 30 (2015) — 1,485 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 2016: Tore his meniscus three games into season at 31
- *Only cracked 1,000 once more in final six NFL seasons
The age of 30 marked future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson’s last great season. He dragged the Minnesota Vikings to an 11-5 record and NFC North division title by leading the league in rushing yards (1,485), rushing touchdowns (11) and carries (237). However, his body broke down the very next season at the age of 31 when he suffered a torn meniscus injury just three games into the 2015 season. Peterson struggled in his first season back, registering 529 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 156 carries in 10 games played in 2017 at the age of 32. He bounced back for his final 1,000-yard season in 2017 with Washington when he went for 1,042 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 251 carries. Peterson was never the same after his age-30 season.
8. Lions RB Barry Sanders, age 30 (1998) — 1,491 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- *Retired after 1998 season
Detroit Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders still comes up plenty these days when the sports conversation shifts to athletes going out on their own terms. Sanders glided his way to 1,491 yards rushing in 1998 at 30 years old, which ranked as the fourth most in the NFL that year and landed him on the All-Pro second team.
However, his Lions went 5-11 and missed the playoffs that year, which led to Sanders retiring after the eighth-best rushing campaign in NFL history at the age of 30 or older. Sanders noted in a documentary in 2023 that not viewing the Lions as a Super Bowl contender was a key reason for his retirement.
“For me, just that thing that drove me to play, which is that passion, just wasn’t there,” Sanders said in Amazon’s new documentary about the Hall of Fame back. “There was nothing really left to play for. I didn’t see us as any kind of a serious Super Bowl contender. … I felt like I was making a pretty clear decision. I just felt like, in my mind, this is pretty much it.”
7. Bears RB Walter Payton, age 32 (1985) — 1,551 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 1986: Ran for 1,333 rushing yards at 33
- 1987: *Retired after rushing for 533 yards at 34
Walter Payton was an ageless wonder. At the age of 32 in 1985, he ran for 1,551 yards (the third most in the NFL) and nine rushing touchdowns (tied for the eighth most in the NFL) on 324 carries. He was the engine of the Bears’ second-ranked scoring offense (28.5 points per game) that season as Chicago shuffled its way to a 15-1 regular season en route to becoming Super Bowl XX champions. Payton still had one more high-level season in the tank at age 33 the following year before the wheels fell off at age 34 in 1987.
6. Patriots RB Corey Dillon, age 30 (2004) — 1,635 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 2005, 2006: Combined to rush for 1,545 yards across his final two NFL seasons at ages 31 and 32
The New England Patriots traded a 2004 second-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for 30-year-old running back Corey Dillon, and they hit the jackpot. Dillon erupted for a career-high 1,635 yards rushing at the age of 30, the third most in the NFL that season, in addition to 12 rushing touchdowns, tied for the eighth most in the league that year. His production helped power the Patriots to a 14-2 regular season record en route to winning Super Bowl XXXIX. However, he never topped 1,000 yards again across his final two seasons and New England failed to return to the Super Bowl in those 2005 and 2006 campaigns.
5. Giants RB Tiki Barber, age 31 (2006) — 1,662 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- *Retired after 2006 season
Barber followed up the No. 2 rushing season on this list (1,860 yards rushing in 2005 at the age of 30) with another 1,600-yard season in 2006. He ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards that year while ranking fourth in the league in yards per carry (5.1) among running backs. New York went 8-8 that year, but they failed to win a playoff game, losing 23-20 in the NFC wild card round against the Philadelphia Eagles. Barber parlayed his stellar last two seasons into a broadcasting role with NBC Sports upon his retirement.
4. Bears RB Walter Payton, age 31 (1984) — 1,684 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 1985: Ran for 1,551 rushing yards at 32
- 1986: Ran for 1,333 rushing yards at 33
- 1987: *Retired after rushing for 533 yards at 34
The second-best season of Payton’s all-time career occurred at the age of 31 in 1984 when he exploded for 1,684 yards rushing, the second most in the NFL behind Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 and 11 rushing touchdowns, the seventh most in the league. He helped power the Bears to a 10-6 record and an NFC Central division title as Chicago reached the NFC Championship game. However, they couldn’t get past the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, losing 23-0. Payton still had plenty of gas in the tank as his aforementioned entries on this list indicate.
3. Jets RB Curtis Martin, age 31 (2004) — 1,697 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 2005: Rushed for 735 yards and five touchdowns at 32
- *Retired after 2005 season
Curtis Martin earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a career-high 1,697 yards rushing, which led the NFL, at the age of 31 years old in the 2004 season. His production propelled the Jets into the postseason where they advanced to the AFC divisional round before losing 20-17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After earning the only first-team All-Pro selection of his career, Martin faded at the age of 32 before retiring after the 2005 season.
2. Giants RB Tiki Barber, age 30 (2005) — 1,860 rushing yards
Production in years after season:
- 2006: Rushed for 1,662 yards at 31
- *Retired after 2006 season
Barber held the top spot on this list for nearly 20 years before King Henry stole his crown in 2024. His 1,860 yards rushing in 2005 at the age of 30 were the second most in the league, just 20 yards behind 2005 NFL MVP running back Shaun Alexander’s 1,880. Barber also added nine rushing touchdowns, tied for the 10th most in the league, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry, which was tied for the second most in the league among running backs.
New York reached the postseason with an 11-5 record and an NFC East title, but got smoked in the wild card round 23-0 by the reigning NFC champion Carolina Panthers. Barber followed up this campaign with the No. 5 season on this list in 2006 before retiring.
1. Ravens RB Derrick Henry, age 30 (2024) — 1,921 rushing yards
Production in years after season: TBD
As mentioned at the top of this piece, Henry turned the clock back with a vintage season while averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry, which led all running backs in 2024. This season made Henry the only player in NFL history with multiple seasons with over 1,900 yards rushing. He and quarterback Lamar Jackson combined for both the most rushing yards by a duo (2,836) and the most total yards by a duo (7,201) in a single season in NFL history.
Did Ravens make the right move by extending Henry now?
Verdict: Yes, they did. Going off the history of this top 10 list, the physical specimen that Henry is and his supporting cast, Baltimore made the right move. Four of the seasons on this list were when running backs were 31 or 32 years old — Martin in 2004 at 31, Payton in 1984 at 31, Barber in 2006 at 31 and Payton in 1985 at 32.
Henry is an all-time physical marvel, and he gets to line up next to the NFL’s scariest dual-threat quarterback in Jackson. Jackson, the 2024 first-team All-Pro quarterback, became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards and run for over 800 yards in a single season in 2024. With defenses having to sweat about either player rushing with the football, that pulls attention away from Henry.
Baltimore also locked in Henry at the low cap hit of $5.589 million in 2026 at the age of 32 by signing him early. Should the wheels fall off after 2026, there isn’t any guaranteed money remaining on the deal in 2027 when he is 33. The Ravens could cut him in the 2027 offseason and save $9.242 million in cap space. General manager Eric DeCosta locked in a generational running back for what are sure to be the last productive years of his campaign at a cost-controlled rate. That’s a major victory for the Ravens.
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Author: Garrett Podell
May 20, 2025 | 11:20 am
