With every NFL season comes an opportunity for teams to achieve immortality by taking home the coveted Lombardi Trophy. But, for nine NFL stars, a Super Bowl ring won’t be the only way they can cement their legacies in 2023.
As the NFL makes its final preparations for Week 1, the highly anticipated kickoff will also usher in the march toward career milestones for Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Derrick Henry, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Von Miller, Cam Jordan, Calais Campbell and Cordarrelle Patterson.
Will all nine stars turn in another exceptional year and mark the ’23 campaign as another testament to their all-time greatness? Only time will tell, but for now, let’s take a look at the statistical thresholds each player will look to cross by season’s end.
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A four-time MVP and Super Bowl XLV champion, Rodgers will enter his 19th season, and 16th as a starter, looking to become the eighth QB ever to eclipse the 60,000-yard mark. Rodgers, now in New York after a storied Packers career, currently boasts 59,055 career yards in 230 games played.
Armed with a new receiving corps led by Garrett Wilson, Rodgers’s first Jets season will also see the 39-year-old QB attempt to reach 500 career touchdowns, a mark that should be attainable given his 475 career TDs to date.
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With 8,335 career rushing yards to his name, Henry, much like he has for seven seasons, has yet another chance to dominate the league in 2023. The 29-year-old Pro Bowler has logged a lot of miles, but in order to reach 10K, the running back will need to churn out 1,665 yards. Over his career, Henry has recorded 1,500-plus yards three times.
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Entering his second season in Las Vegas, Adams, similar to his good friend and former teammate over on the Jets, has a chance to notch two notable career feats not far removed from a memorable Packers run.
A change under center from Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo will be an adjustment, but the adaptable Adams should have no problem producing. The 30-year-old wideout has logged three straight All-Pro selections and six consecutive Pro Bowl nods, a red-hot streak Adams will look to continue as he builds on his career totals of 9,637 receiving yards and 87 TDs.
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Diggs, a Pro Bowler in each of the past three seasons, has been sensational over eight NFL campaigns, but his game has reached new heights since he arrived in Buffalo in 2020. After tallying 4,189 yards over three years with the Bills, Diggs will need 1,188 yards in his age-30 season to reach the magic number.
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A Chargers linchpin since 2013, Allen, 31, has dealt with numerous injuries, but the hurdles have not greatly stifled his race to 10,000 receiving yards. The five-time Pro Bowler will need 713 yards, 39 yards fewer than his 2022 total, to join a special tier of receivers.
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Currently on injured reserve, Miller’s ’23 campaign will likely begin in Week 5 following an extensive recovery from a torn ACL. When Miller does return to action, the two-time Super Bowl champion will need just 2 1/2 sacks to reach 125 for his career.
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Fresh off a new contract extension, Jordan could be poised for big things in Dennis Allen’s defense. With 115 1/2 career sacks, the eight-time Pro Bowler will need 9 1/2 to reach the 125 mark in his age-34 season.
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After a three-year run with the Ravens, Campbell, 36, will play for his fourth team after signing with the Falcons this offseason. The change of scenery isn’t likely to alter Campbell’s ferocious focus on the field, though, as the six-time Pro Bowler looks to add one more unfortunate soul to his current career sack total of 99.
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The only active player with more than three kickoff-return TDs, Patterson, 32, enters ’23 with an NFL-record total of nine in his career. The veteran running back has been known to produce all over the field, but, with his playing time in Atlanta’s backfield likely to dip behind Bijan Robinson, Patterson could see more special teams opportunities (re: chances at TD return No. 10) as a result.
