Every Buffalo Bills player and fan now knows Matt Prater’s name after his Week 1 heroics. But that wasn’t the case a few days before the team’s season opener.
Prater joined the Bills on Sept. 4 as an injury replacement for the ailing Tyler Bass. Three days later, he was getting yelled at by Josh Allen for converting on a game-winning field goal to complete Buffalo’s comeback against the Baltimore Ravens.
After the game, Prater became the talk of the locker room as reporters asked Bills players about their newest teammate. A couple of Bills players admitted to mistaking Prater for a coach when he first showed up to a team meeting.
“I’m not going to take a shot at his age,” said rookie tight end Jackson Hawes, who is 17 years younger than Prater. “But he walks into the special teams meeting and I’m like, ‘Oh, we’ve got a new coach. Oh wait, that’s Matt Prater! Holy cow, this guy’s been balling in the league.'”
“First time I’d seen him, I was like, ‘Huh, a coach?'” shared wide receiver Khalil Shakir. “And he comes out here, man, and he’s a great dude. Comes out here and kicks the game-winning field goal. He’s special, and I’m just happy to have him here with us.”
"He walks into the special teams meeting and I thought we got a new coach. Then I'm like oh that's Matt Prater" 🤣
At 41 years old, Prater is the oldest player to ever suit up for the Bills pic.twitter.com/rvgqTXJoMv
— Carl Jones (@Jones11_) September 8, 2025
Prater went undrafted in 2006 and made his NFL debut in 2007, when most of the Bills’ rookies were still in diapers. His appearance in Sunday night’s game marked the beginning of his 19th NFL season..
With Prater being the second-oldest active player in the NFL at 41 years old, it’s easy to see why some Bills players thought he was a coach. Only Aaron Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, is older than him.
Prater is older than seven current NFL head coaches and has the salt-and-pepper beard of someone ready to call out plays using a headset rather than execute them on the field.
The Bills rewarded Prater by signing him to the active roster, alongside another special teams player who has a striking resemblance to Bill Burr.