At 34, Bucs cornerback performs like younger players

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Bucs cornerback Brent Grimes is an ageless wonder. He certainly doesn't look his age, at 34, even to his teammates.

"Brent Grimes is the oldest? He doesn't look the oldest at all," Jameis Winston laughed. "I think it's just impressive and it shows."

So what's Grimes' secret to staying so young in a sport that's so physically demanding?

"Hey, I don't know. It's genetics I guess," Grimes told us. "Just genetics, taking care of yourself. That's it."

Jameis Winston says he suspects hard work also has something to do with it.

"Brent has done a great job," Winston said. "Just his offseason work - I mean this guy plays soccer, basketball and then makes time for his family. He's just an all-around amazing athlete."

"Brent physically has the physical traits of a very young man even though he's north of 33, 34 years old," said Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith. "He's special. He plays a lot bigger than he is, his measurables. He can jump out of the gym, he can contort his body, and he's a physical football player. Brent, I think, is a guy that is going to play as long as he wants to play. Look at where he's at right now, he doesn't look like he's on the backside of his career."

Grimes doesn't appear to be slowing down. He played in all 16 games in 2016 and ended up ranked as the 4th best cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. When Jon Gruden came to camp, he called Grimes last year's steal, saying he might have been the story of the year.

"That's pretty sweet then," Grimes said in reaction to Gruden's statements. "That's good coming from someone like him that knows the game as well as he does. I appreciate it coming from him."