Milestone Watch: 10 veterans who could make history in 2016

Among the thousands of athletes who've played in the NFL, few have stuck around long enough and played at a high enough level to cement themselves among the greats.

While some players will have the opportunity to break standing NFL records in 2016, others will look to work their way up all-time statistical categories and reach benchmark numbers.

Here are 10 NFL veterans looking to achieve legendary status this season:

Larry Fitzgerald

Attainable milestones: 100 touchdowns, third all time in receptions, seventh all time in receiving touchdowns, seventh all time in receiving yards

Stats entering 2016: 1,018 receptions, 13,366 receiving yards, 98 receiving touchdowns

With a repeat of his 2015 performance, Fitzgerald could put himself in a special place among NFL receivers. With 98 touchdowns, he's just two shy of the century mark, and seven away from Antonio Gates for seventh all time. In all-time catches, he's 85 away from the No. 3 spot, and is 1,215 yards (his exact 2015 total) away from seventh in the total yards mark. Former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison holds both of those spots.

Adrian Peterson

Attainable milestones: 100 rushing touchdowns, fifth all time in rushing yards, fourth all time in rushing touchdowns

Stats entering 2016: 11,675 rushing yards, 97 rushing touchdowns

With no Teddy Bridgewater, the 21st century's best running back will get plenty of chances to take a shot at cementing himself among the all-time greats. A 2,009-yard season would put AP ahead of LaDainian Tomlinson (fifth all time), which isn't out of reach for the impressive 31-year-old. He could reach 100 rushing touchdowns by the end of Week 1 and will climb to fourth all time by season's end if he makes at least 13 trips to the end zone.

Drew Brees

Attainable milestones: 65,000 passing yards, third all time in passing yards

Stats entering 2016: 60,903 passing yards, 428 passing touchdowns

Brees became the first quarterback to topple Dan Marino's 5,084-yard season in 2011, and now he's ready to take his spot on the all-time list. The Saints field general sits just 458 yards behind Marino, who's third overall, and 4,100 yards from 65,000. He's still over 10,000 yards off Peyton Manning's No. 1 spot, but another pair of plus-5,000-yard seasons could narrow that gap in a hurry.

Tom Brady

Attainable milestones: 60,000 passing yards, fourth all time in passing yards

Stats entering 2016: 58,028 passing yards, 428 passing touchdowns

Brady is tied with Brees for career touchdowns, but his four-game suspension will separate the two on that front. Brees should get past Marino's all-time mark with ease, but even with a 12-game season, Brady could reach it as well. If "Tom Terrific" can muster an average of more than 277 yards upon his return, he could move one spot up the list by season's end, and he'll have plenty of motivation to do so.

Steve Smith

Attainable milestones: 14,000 receiving yards, 1,000 receptions, seventh all time in receiving yards

Stats entering 2016: 961 receptions, 13,932 receiving yards, 76 receiving touchdowns

Smith has already stated his goal of attaining 1,000 career catches - a very doable accomplishment - and sits not far outside the all time top 10 yardage list. With a mere 73 yards, the 37-year-old will crack both 14,000 yards and James Lofton's place in the top 10. Anything over 648 yards will move Smith ahead of Harrison into seventh all time, although Fitzgerald will likely beat him to it.

Frank Gore

Attainable milestones: 13,000 rushing yards, seventh all time in rushing yards

Stats entering 2016: 12,040 rushing yards, 70 rushing touchdowns

Gore has been one of the most consistent running backs around throughout his 11-year career, and it's starting to pay off on his stats page. Sitting 15th all time in rushing yards, another 1,000-yard season for the 33-year-old would slide him past Tony Dorsett into eighth all time and over the 13,000-yard total. Peterson could push Gore back to ninth, but a top-10 total would still be a nice payoff for Gore's years of punishment.

Julius Peppers, DeMarcus Ware

Attainable milestone: Fifth all time in sacks

Stats entering 2016: 136 sacks (Peppers), 134.5 sacks (Ware)

These two veteran sack artists are both headed to the Hall of Fame, but they're still hard at work building their legacies. Both pass-rushers are within reach of Michael Strahan, who's fifth all time is sacks (141.5) this season and will get every passing-down opportunity to go for it. With Ware's back issues becoming a regular occurrence, this could be the last season we see him on the field, while Peppers has shown few signs of slowing down at age 36.

Pete Carroll, Mike Tomlin

Attainable milestone: 100 career wins

Stats entering 2016: 93 wins (Carroll), 92 wins (Tomlin)

The NFL has seen 38 coaches reach the 100-win total, and could see two more join the ranks in 2016. Unless the Seahawks have their worst season under Carroll this year, the 64-year-old will get to triple-digit wins - an impressive feat considering his early flameout as an NFL coach in the '90s. The 44-year-old Tomlin's rise to 100 wins may be even more remarkable, as he's 20 years younger than Carroll and has yet to have a losing season in his nine years with the Steelers.