10 NFL Veterans Hoping to Finally Taste the Super Bowl

If you have followed the NFL or even the general sporting world for any length of time, you've probably heard about "the taste of victory."

In the National Football League, truly tasting victory requires getting to—and hopefully winning—the Super Bowl. 

Now, we're not quite sure what the Super Bowl tastes like, but we imagine it is pretty darn satisfying. Why else would thousands of players dedicate their lives to the game just for an opportunity to snag a small bite?

The players we're talking about here, though, don't just yearn for their Super Bowl sample—they're starving for it. We're talking about longtime veterans—and great ones—who have yet to taste the Super Bowl and who finally have a realistic shot at it in 2015.

Many of these players have even made late-career team changes to get that taste.

To make our list, a player has to have played at least seven NFL seasons and must have never appeared in the Big Game. They also must have a legitimate shot of doing so this year. No matter how hungry they might be, veteran Pro Bowlers such as Joe Thomas and Calvin Johnson on losing teams are out of luck.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

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Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is easily one of the most recognizable players in the NFL. He also happens to be one of the most prolific running backs of all time—to date, he has rushed for 11,151 yards and 91 touchdowns.

However, Peterson has only experienced one postseason victory in his pro career.

He has been around since the Vikings made him a first-round draft pick back in 2007. He spent the vast majority of the 2014 season on the NFL's Exempt/Commissioner's Permission List. This meant that he came into his ninth NFL season fully rested and ready to go.

Peterson's freshness has definitely shown. The 30-year-old runner is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, has already rushed for 961 yards and has scored five rushing touchdowns. With 138 yards receiving on the season, this puts him just under 1,100 scrimmage yards nine games into the season.

By going over 200 against the Oakland Raiders in Week 10, Peterson tied O.J. Simpson's record for most career 200-yard games in the NFL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Pro Football Focus rates Peterson 10th overall among running backs in rushing. In terms of pure yardage, he leads the NFL by more than 200 of them (Chris Johnson is second with 734).

Now could be the time for Peterson to finally snag a taste of what it's like to play in the Super Bowl. At 7-2, the Vikings are all alone atop the NFC North standings and share a record with the Arizona Cardinals, who hold the NFC's No. 2 seed. The last time Peterson and the Vikings got a legitimate shot at appearing in the Super Bowl, quarterback Brett Favre ended their chances with an overtime interception in the NFC title game. 

You can bet that Peterson is ready to add that one big team accomplishment to the long list of his individual accolades. 

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has experienced quite the interesting, up-and-down NFL journey. His pro career has spanned nearly 13 years, three franchises and two major ACL injuries. He was traded twice along the way.

The former first overall pick out of USC has already thrown for 38,114 yards and 247 touchdowns in his career. Finally, it seems that Palmer has landed in the perfect position to make a realistic run at a Super Bowl title. 

The 7-2 Cardinals have a commanding lead in the NFC West and would own a first-round playoff bye if the season were to end today. This might be an even better team than the Cardinals who went 11-5 a season ago. A big reason is the re-emergence of running back Chris Johnson, who is helping to give Arizona a legitimately dangerous rushing attack.

Another reason, of course, is Palmer. He was lost for the season after just six games last year. Now, he is back, healthy and playing at an All-Pro level.

He is rated higher than any other NFL quarterback overall by Pro Football Focus. Right now, he seems like a virtual lock to make the third Pro Bowl of his career. 

The Cardinals know that they are lucky to have the 35-year-old gunslinger.

"He's big, he's strong, he's accurate and he can make all the throws—and he's playing absolutely great," Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald said early in the season, per NFL Media's Michael Silver. "Now he's with a coach who really believes in him, and Carson's completely in command."

Palmer definitely seems to have complete command of Bruce Arians' offense this year, and he's helping to cement the Cardinals as one of the league's top Super Bowl contenders.

Largely because of injuries and the players around him, Palmer has only appeared in two career playoff games and has never won one. That should all change at the end of the 2015 season. 

DeAngelo Williams, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers first brought in veteran running back DeAngelo Williams to provide injury insurance and to be a spot starter during Le'Veon Bell's two-game suspension to start the 2015 season. 

Now that Bell is out for the season with a torn MCL, it's Williams' show. If the 6-4 Steelers can continue to pile up wins and overcome injuries, he might just get to realize the dream of being a starting back in the Super Bowl.

"Coming to the Steelers was the best thing that ever happened to me," the 32-year-old running back said last week, per ESPN's Britt McHenry. "It gave me a new lease on life."

Williams, who spent the first nine seasons of his pro career with the Carolina Panthers, has appeared in the postseason three times but has never advanced past the divisional round. 

Williams holds several franchise records for the Panthers—including most career rushing yards (6,699), most rushing touchdowns (46) and most yards rushing in a season (1,515 in 2008). He was also named to the Pro Bowl after the 2009 season. 

However, the Panthers decided to part ways with Williams after last season. Some would argue that he would have a better chance of reaching the big game were he still with the 9-0 Panthers. However, we have seen the Steelers take the playoff-road route to the Super Bowl before and win it all. 

As long as Pittsburgh can get into the postseason, Williams' dream remains alive.

In the meantime, he is continuing to add to his impressive career statistical totals. Despite making only four starts so far this season, he has already amassed 535 rushing yards, 137 receiving yards and five touchdowns. 

Pro Football Focus rates Williams seventh overall among running backs for the season. 

Jared Allen, DE, Carolina Panthers

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Longtime Kansas City Chiefs and Vikings pass-rusher Jared Allen would have a good chance of finally tasting a Super Bowl if he were still with Minnesota. After spending a little more than a season with the Chicago Bears and then being traded to the Carolina Panthers, however, he may have one of the best chances of reaching the Big Game of his career.

Allen was really close to a Super Bowl with the Favre-led Vikings back in 2009. This 9-0 Panthers team, though, seems to be similarly talented and has just as much championship grit. In addition to being undefeated, Carolina ranks third overall in scoring (28.3 points per game) and sixth overall in defensive scoring (19.4 points per game allowed).

When asked about the best team he has played on by Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, Allen said the following:

"

Minnesota in 2009. We lost to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game, in overtime.

Now this Carolina team is good. Can we go all the way? Let’s put it this way—we have the potential to go as far as we want to go. That’s not a cop-out. This league is week-to-week, a “who’s hot, who’s not” type of league. This team is special in terms of the camaraderie in the locker room. 

"

Acquiring Allen with a conditional sixth-round pick could well be part of Carolina's championship equation, and the move should add talent and experience to the locker room. 

The five-time Pro Bowler has racked up 630 tackles, 31 forced fumbles and an astonishing 136.0 sacks in his career. Though the 33-year-old might not be the force he once was, he can still be a productive situational pass-rusher. He has two sacks in five games for Carolina.

If the Panthers continue finding new ways to win games, Allen should have a shot of capping his potential Hall of Fame career with a Lombardi Trophy. 

Andrew Whitworth, OT, Cincinnati Bengals

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Offensive linemen in the NFL often go overlooked in favor of flashy skill-position players and pass-rushers. However, a seasoned football fan will tell you that it takes a strong offensive line for total team success and usually to win a championship.

Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth has never appeared in a Super Bowl, but he has helped his team achieve plenty of smaller successes for the better part of a decade.

Whitworth first joined the Bengals as a second-round draft pick back in 2006, and he has started nearly every game since. Cincinnati has only played 11 regular-season games without Whitworth in the starting lineup since drafting him. 

The Bengals should consider themselves lucky to have a durable and capable, albeit underrated player such as Whitworth as a franchise cornerstone. He has only been named to one Pro Bowl in his career, but he was voted a second-team All-Pro last season and remains one of the top offensive linemen in the game. Whitworth is rated fourth overall among offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus for the season.

Unfortunately for Whitworth, the former LSU star has never even tasted a pro playoff victory. 

This could all change in 2015. Though the Bengals did lose their first game of the season to the Houston Texans in Week 10, the team is still 8-1 and in firm control of the AFC North. If the season ended today, Whitworth and the Bengals would also own a first-round bye. It'll be what the Bengals do in the postseason that is important.

"We’ve got enough guys that are hungry and in the phase of their career where this is a big year for them that I don't think anybody is relaxing," Whitworth recently said, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

Owen Daniels, TE, Denver Broncos

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Denver Broncos tight end Owen Daniels might not immediately leap out as a veteran great who hungers for a Super Bowl. Yet, we have to recognize that he has been an NFL Sunday staple ever since he first entered the league in 2006. 

Longevity and reliability make up Daniels' game, as he has appeared in at least 10 games in seven of his first nine professional seasons (not counting this season). Now in his 10th year, he has caught a minimum of 24 passes in every single one. 

Daniels has also been a constant in the Gary Kubiak offense. He followed Kubiak to the Baltimore Ravens last season when Kubiak took over as offensive coordinator. He followed the coach to Denver this year, where he has played a large role in the offense for the 7-2 Broncos. 

"I want to compare it to a father-son relationship just because of how much time we've spent together and how often we've seen each other and the type of communication that we have," Daniels said before the season about his relationship with Kubiak, per Dennis Georgatos of ESPN.com. "He's not my dad, but he might be my football dad, I'll put it that way."

Even at 33 years of age, the two-time Pro Bowler is still averaging 10.2 yards per reception and has 245 yards and three touchdowns on the season. 

With 457 career receptions, 5,389 yards and 36 touchdowns, Daniels has earned an opportunity to compete for a championship. He might finally get that opportunity this season with Denver.

The Broncos' Super Bowl chances have taken a bit of a hit in recent weeks with two consecutive losses and a foot injury to future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning (CNN's Rachel Nichols reports that Brock Osweiler will start in Week 11). However, Daniels has to feel as good about his chances this year as he has at any point in his lengthy career. 

Terence Newman, CB, Minnesota Vikings

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We mentioned Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson at the opening of our list, but he isn't the only Vikings player worthy of a spot. Unlike Peterson, though, veteran cornerback Terence Newman hasn't spent his entire career with the Vikings.

Newman has played with three franchises in total. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Bengals in 2012. When former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer took over as head coach of the Vikings, Newman wasn't far behind. 

He joined Zimmer just one year later. 

The 37-year-old cornerback has started all nine games for the Vikings this season and has helped the team climb its way to the top of the NFC North standings.

In Minnesota's Week 10 win over the Raiders, Newman became just the second NFL cornerback to have a two-interception game at age 37. The other was Deion Sanders.

Talk about a record day for the Vikings. 

"That’s what he does. He plays good. He’s consistent. He’s a great competitor," Zimmer said of Newman after the Raiders game, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. "I’ve said this a lot about my football players, he’s a very good football player, but he’s an even better person. He helps a lot of young guys. He does a great job with the secondary.”

For his career, Newman has produced 776 tackles, 155 passes defended and 39 interceptions. He has also scored three defensive touchdowns and has been named to two Pro Bowls.

If the Vikings can keep up their winning ways, Newman might finally get to add a Super Bowl to his resume.  

Matt Bryant, K, Atlanta Falcons

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You can say what you will about kickers, but we're sure they yearn for a Super Bowl taste just as much as players at other positions.

Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant has been waiting nearly a decade-and-a-half for his. 

Bryant actually began his pro football career with the Iowa Barnstormers (yes, the same arena team that quarterback Kurt Warner once led) all the way back in 2000. He then spent time with the Berlin Thunder and Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, though he never appeared in a game in either league. 

Bryant then bounced between the Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants before finally landing with the Falcons in 2009. Since then, he has been a staple of the franchise.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently listed Bryant at No. 37 on its list of the 50 top Falcons in franchise history.

For his career, Bryant has made 300 of 352 field-goal attempts (85.2 percent) and 426 of 430 extra-point attempts (99.1 percent). According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, his 731 points as a Falcon place him second on the team's all-time scoring list.

To date, Bryant's career highlight in Atlanta is probably kicking a 49-yard game-winning field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles to send the Falcons to the NFC title game following the 2012 season. If the 6-3 Falcons can continue their winning ways, he might just get an opportunity to kick one in a Super Bowl. 

Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Carolina Panthers

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Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery is another player who winds up on our list for reasons of longevity and resilience more than those of personal accolades. The 12-year veteran has never been named to a Pro Bowl and has only produced one 1,000-yard season in his career. 

However, Cotchery has been around since 2004 and has spent many, many years helping football teams score points and win games. To date, he has produced 500 career receptions, 6,334 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Now a member of the undefeated Panthers, Cotchery may finally have an opportunity to add a Super Bowl title to the back end of his lengthy career.

He joined the Panthers a year ago on a modest five-year, $8 million deal. Since joining the franchise, he has helped provide an experienced veteran presence to the Panthers receiving corps and for quarterback Cam Newton. That veteran leadership shone through when Cotchery spoke after a Week 8 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Cotchery said, per Jeff Owens of Sporting News:

"

When you’re 3-8-1...and your season is staring you right there in the eyes, you have to do something at that point. And the guys stood up last year and got into the playoffs and I think it carried over into the offseason and guys came back with a great attitude and came to work and it’s carried over into this season.

"

Surprisingly, Carolina has gone from a 7-8-1 playoff team in 2014 to a team that has already won nine games this season. Though Cotchery's numbers this year haven't been overwhelming (15 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown), he has earned his shot at a Super Bowl.

Cotchery is the second Panther on our list who could finally taste a title due to Carolina's impressive and unlikely emergence.

Andre Johnson, WR, Indianapolis Colts

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It wouldn't seem fair to have a list of great veteran players who are looking to taste a Super Bowl without including Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Andre Johnson.

The 34-year-old pass-catcher is in his 13th NFL season, and he is arguably the greatest player in the history of the Houston Texans franchise. To this point in his career, Johnson has racked up 1,036 receptions, 13,885 yards receiving and 77 touchdowns.

After the Texans decided to part ways with Johnson last year, the one-time Miami Hurricanes standout made the decision to sign with the division-rival Colts. After he watched the Colts play their way into the AFC Championship Game last season, a chance at a Super Bowl had to be a primary reason.

Johnson spoke with Sports Illustrated's Don Banks about his decision during the offseason:

"

A lot of people ask me, ‘Did you come here to get back at the Texans? That’s not what it’s about. I came here to win. I came here to win a Super Bowl. When I was in Houston, I always said I wanted to be a part of something that was built from the ground up. But then you go through that, and then after 12 seasons, there comes a point where you know your career’s almost over. What do you do?

You go find a place and give yourself the best opportunity to try and get a ring. 

"

Unfortunately for Johnson, the 2015 season probably hasn't gone the way he had hoped. He has mostly been a role player in the Colts offense (24 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns) and has watched as Indianapolis has stumbled its way to a 4-5 record.

With star quarterback Andrew Luck out indefinitely with a lacerated kidney, Johnson's chance at a Super Bowl may slip away by season's end.

For now, though, Johnson and the Colts remain in first place in the AFC South, thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the 4-5 Texans. We all know that it only takes getting a playoff ticket for a team to work its way into the Big Game, and we're sure that Johnson is longing for that championship taste as much as he ever has.