Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman set to make NFL history

As the Los Angeles Rams prepare for the Super Bowl on Sunday, veteran offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth is set to make NFL history. At 40 years old, Whitworth will become the first offensive lineman over 40 to play in the Super Bowl.

Veteran Rams offensive lineman makes history

“On Sunday, Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth will become the first offensive lineman in his 40’s to ever play in the Super Bowl,” explained ESPN’s Field Yates. “He will also join just Tom Brady and Jerry Rice amongst non-specialists to do so. A truly remarkable feat to be still be playing at a high-level at that age.”

Whitworth’s place in NFL history is a reflection of an incredible career that began with his Super Bowl opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. Whitworth was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and played for Cincinnati until the end of the 2016 season. In 2017, Whitworth joined the Rams and became an instant piece of their playoff hopes. After suffering an MCL injury at the end of 2020, he has recovered fully and now has a chance at a championship.

The company that Whitworth will join after playing Sunday is an incredible one. Brady and Rice have two of the most incredible Hall of Fame resumes in NFL history, and while Whitworth’s career may not have the accolades it is impressive enough to see him last as long as he has at the highest level. In Whitworth’s case, a Super Bowl victory may be a deciding accolade on whether or not he will finish his career with Hall of Fame aspirations.

Whitworth on meeting Burrow

Adding to the interconnected history of Whitworth and this Super Bowl matchup, he has something in common with the opposing quarterback Joe Burrow. Both were members of national championship-winning LSU teams, albeit many years apart. Whitworth finally got a chance to meet his fellow LSU alum while the pair were rehabbing from similar injuries in 2020.

“I just kind of admired him from afar,” said Whitworth of Burrow’s career. “I never really met him when he was at LSU. … I had seen when he got hurt, and then our team doctor is Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who did his surgery. So Dr. ElAttrache and him had been talking, and Doc and I reached out to one another. … I was like, ‘man, I’ve wanted to meet him forever. I’ve never met him, just shake his hand and tell him thank you for the national championship at LSU, and then what a great job he did.’

“So I ended up having him over on a Sunday when both of us are the old man on crutches and the young man on crutches. And Dr. ElAttrache came with us and we sat around and had a good meal and spent the whole day together watching football games, and it was really fun. His girlfriend Olivia came over too and my wife and her got to spend some time together.”