NFL players who could be playing their last games in 2019

Brady's offense has been sputtering in New England this season, and the future Hall of Fame quarterback has fought nagging injuries. At age 42, he's completed only 60.5 percent of his passes, his worst rate since 2003. While Brady has said in the past that he would like to play well into his mid-40s, he might reconsider after this season.

Brees leads the league in completion rate for the third straight year, but he's missed significant time with a thumb injury and is in the final year of his contract at age 40. The quarterback could opt to call it quits after one more playoff run.

Bethea is one of the league's oldest defensive backs at age 35, and this season has been a struggle for him on a bad Giants team. He has been productive with 93 tackles in 13 games, but the three-time Pro Bowler is long past the usual age of retirement for defensive backs.

Davis played only four games before suffering a season-ending injury, and his production was already falling off at age 35. His younger brother, Vontae Davis, retired last year, and Vernon could follow him after this season concludes.

Fitzgerald has seemingly been year-to-year in his retirement consideration. He gave it one more year with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona, but the Cardinals have struggled to find success in a brutal NFC West division. The wideout has been productive this year, but the Cardinals don't look much closer to making a playoff run. Fitzgerald turned 36 just before the 2019 season began.

Baltimore cut Flacco loose after 11 seasons, but the Denver Broncos thought he might be a stopgap for Drew Lock this year. Their hopes didn't come to fruition, as Flacco went 2-6 as the starter before suffering a season-ending neck injury. Turning 35 in January, Flacco is young enough to serve as a backup for a few more seasons, but he should have plenty of money in the bank if he decides to retire instead.

Gore has had a long and likely Hall of Fame career, currently ranking third all time in rush attempts and rushing yards. The 36-year-old has helped to create a dynamic duo in Buffalo with rookie Devin Singletary this season, but he's averaging only 3.7 yards per carry after his 2018 season was ended early due to injury. He's still a powerful, durable runner but is coming down the final straightaway of his NFL career.

Jackson returned to the Eagles this year, the franchise that drafted him in 2008. He was supposed to be the team's deep threat but managed to play only three games due to an abdominal injury. Injuries have become common for the speedster, and at age 33 he's long past the normal age for a player with his skill set. Even if he decides to continue playing next year, any decline in speed could make prolonging his career difficult.

Manning has struggled for several years as the Giants starting quarterback and was benched early this season for rookie Daniel Jones, although he is back on the field after a Jones injury. The two-time Super Bowl winner will always be appreciated by Giants fans, but it seems more likely than not that he will hang up his cleats this offseason.

McCown retired after last season, but the 40-year-old added one more season to his resume when the Eagles were looking for a backup just before Week 1. Philadelphia hasn't needed McCown to make any starts this season, and the veteran seems likely to soon retire for good.

Cut by Buffalo just before the season started, McCoy tagged on with his former head coach Andy Reid in Kansas City. At age 31, McCoy has averaged 4.7 yards per carry on a limited snap count that included making him a healthy scratch for one game this season. Averaging less than 40 rushing yards per game in consecutive seasons, McCoy is getting close to retirement.

A long-time run stuffer in Cincinnati and Denver, Peko was out of work this year until mid-November. The 14-year veteran is providing depth for the Ravens down the stretch at age 35 but is clearly on the final stretch of his career.

A likely Hall of Famer with nine Pro Bowls to his name, Peters has had injury issues this season for the second time in three years. Philadelphia made preparations for the 37-year-old's retirement by taking Andre Dillard in the first round of this year's draft, another signal that the end is near for Peters.

Olsen has moonlighted as a broadcaster during his bye week over the last few seasons, and the tight end could be getting closer to fulfilling that role more regularly. He missed significant time with foot issues over the last two years and has struggled to produce up to his standards at age 34 and with quarterback issues in Carolina. The team is set for an offseason reboot after firing head coach Ron Rivera, and that seems like the perfect time for Olsen to move on to his next chapter.

Penn had an injury-plagued 2018 season in Oakland, moving on to Washington in the offseason. He's one of the league's oldest offensive linemen, at age 36, and probably isn't having much fun playing for a struggling Washington squad. The 13-year veteran could be staring retirement in the face after this season concludes.

Peterson has stretched out his career with Washington over the last two seasons. Now sharing carries with young Derrius Guice, Peterson has averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry on a bad Washington team. At age 34, his hard work is a good example for his teammates, but his opportunities could be running out.

After back-to-back winning seasons, the Chargers will miss the playoffs this year and Rivers is partly to blame. The longtime Chargers quarterback has a 48.2 QBR, the second worst of his career, and he has thrown 15 picks in 13 games. He's likely clinched a Hall of Fame enshrinement with eight Pro Bowls and could retire now in decline at age 38.

Sproles decided to return this season at age 36, but he's barely played for the third consecutive season due to injuries. One of the most versatile running backs of his time, Sproles has likely stretched his career as long as he could after suffering a season-ending hip injury.

A six-time Pro Bowl tackle with San Francisco, Staley has played only four games this season due to injuries. At age 35, his team has a chance to make a Super Bowl run, but the injury-plagued season might convince Staley to move on when the season concludes.

After 16 seasons in Baltimore, Suggs decided to continue his career at age 37 in Arizona this year. He's still been productive as a pass rusher, with 5.5 sacks in 13 games, but the seven-time Pro Bowler isn't the player he was earlier in his career. It looks like his swan song will come soon, if not at the end of this year.

Vinatieri's age 47 season has been a struggle, making only 17-of-25 field goal attempts and 22-of-28 extra points. He was lost after Week 13 due to a knee injury, and it's become clear that the future Hall of Famer is close to the end of his career.

Watson came out of retirement to sign with the Patriots this year, but he's been just a complementary piece for the World Champs. Turning 39 this December, Watson seems likely to retire for good after this season.

Weddle returned home to Southern California on a two-year contract with the Rams during the offseason. He's been productive again this year, but the Rams have liked the development of rookie Taylor Rapp and the rest of their secondary as the team gets younger. Weddle turns 35 in January and could opt to end his career his offseason.

The Rams offensive line has taken a big step back this year, and that includes the 38-year-old Whitworth. He has remained durable but is approaching the end of his three-year contract, a convenient time to retire.

Witten took last year off to try out broadcasting, but he missed football enough to return to the field in 2019. The tight end has pretty much picked up where he left off in 2017, but the 37-year-old is likely to retire for good soon.