Donald Driver has enjoyed a long and productive NFL career. The Green Bay Packers wide receiver is now 36 years old and will be coming into his 13th season in the NFL.
From the years 2002-2009, Driver amassed 1,000-plus receiving yards seven times in that eight-year stretch. But 2010 saw Driver's production drop across the board at an alarming rate.
Driver played in 15 regular-season games last year for Green Bay. Consider the following numbers: his yardage dropped from 1,061 to 565, his average yards per catch dropped from 15.2 to 11.1 and the catches he made that resulted in first downs went from 49 to 29.
Now look at his reception numbers.
In the past five years, his reception totals have plummeted: 92, 82, 74, 70 and 51 respectively. Slowly but surely, he is becoming less of a factor in the Packers' passing attack.
In 2010, Driver finished fourth in receiving yards for the Packers and was surpassed by Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson. At least Driver will be able to look forward to receiving a NFL Super Bowl ring. Once he gets that, he will realize that all of the years of wear and tear were worth it.
But with all of the options available to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, it was probably just a matter of time until his production dropped off.