However, general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy may view the longest-tenured player on this season's team as expendable.

"When you're here in New York, you have to understand that you don't have the luxury of time and a lot of forgiveness," said Allan Houston, the longest-tenured player on the roster.

Kurt Thomas, among the longest-tenured player, sounded unconvinced that Wilkens left on his own.

However, he did set another record, becoming the longest-tenured player in Japanese baseball history with 27 seasons completed, breaking Katsuya Nomura's record of 26 seasons.

In 1979, Key was the Eagles' longest-tenured player with ten seasons played.

At the time, he had been the Warriors' longest-tenured player.

Although the Jets appeared certain to lose those players, the team also took steps to retain its longest-tenured offensive player, Wayne Chrebet.

Robinson, 40, is the longest-tenured player in the N.B.A., and one of the few Nets willing to correct his teammates when they do something wrong.

In 2012, Geathers became the longest-tenured player on the Bengals roster.

Robinson, the longest-tenured player in the N.B.A., is more than three years older than Lawrence Frank, the youngest coach in the league.