There is only one topic that can get fans of the Green Bay Packers to stop talking about everything else:
"Is Brett Favre coming back next season?"
For the last few years, winters in Wisconsin were a painful waiting game for green and gold faithful. Last season, Favre's return looked anything but certain. He was coming off his second consecutive subpar year in which he threw more interceptions than he did touchdowns. The Packers missed the playoffs for the second straight season, but won four in a row to finish 8-8.
It looked like the Favre era was coming to an end after he expressed dismay at the Packers' failure to pick up wide receiver Randy Moss. Depending on whom you believe, Favre suggested that the Packers look for a trade.
When he reported to camp, nobody in their right mind could have predicted the year that Favre had. His naysayers watched as he put together his third-best statistical season ever.
Favre will be 39 next season. Should he return, it would be his 17th with the Packers. With a quintet of talented receivers to throw to and an emerging talent in Ryan Grant to provide some running relied, the chances are good that Favre could enjoy a string of late-career success.
Here's a look at what some of the recent "great quarterbacks" accomplished in the latter stages of their careers. Three of them -- Dan Marino, John Elway, Joe Montana and Steve Young -- called it quits when they were 38.
Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins, 1983-'99
Marino was 38 in his final season with the Dolphins. In 11 games, he completed 204 of 369 attempts for 2,448 yards as the Dolphins finished 9-7 under Jimmy Johnson. Marino's final game was a 62-7 playoff loss to Jacksonville. The 17-year veteran missed nearly a month due to injury that season and looked downright awful when he returned on Thanksgiving Day at Dallas. Marino threw five interceptions in 20-0 loss and the Dolphins lost four of their last five games. He retired early the next year when the Dolphins opted to not pick up his contract option.
Denver Broncos, 1983-'99
Few quarterbacks have left the game like Elway did. A legacy of not being able to win the big game was erased when Elway led the Broncos to Super Bowl victories in his final two seasons. He, too, was 38 when the Broncos beat Atlanta, 34-19, in Super Bowl XXXII and was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing for 336 yards and a touchdown. In that final season, Elway completed 59 percent (210 of 356) of his passes for 2,806 yards with 22 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.
Joe Montana
San Francisco 49ers, 1979-'92
Kansas City Chiefs, 1993-'94
Montana missed the entire 1991 season and part of 1992 with an elbow injury he sustained in the 1991 NFC Championship Game. During that time, he was replaced by Steve Young and was traded to the Chiefs where he again missed part of the season but led Kansas City to the AFC Championship Game and earned a Pro Bowl berth. In his final season, the 38-year-old Montana completed 299 of 293 passes for 3,283 yards. He had 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions as the Chiefs finished 9-7 and made the playoffs again.
Steve Young
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1985-'86
San Francisco 49ers, 1987-'99
Young finally escaped from Montana's shadow by leading the 49ers to a 49-26 victory over San Diego in Super Bowl XXIX. The last few years of his career were up-and-down and his teams were blocked by the Favre's Packers. He posted a quarterback rating of 101.1 in 1998 and finally got past Green Bay with a stunning playoff victory which included Terrell Owens' famous game-winning touchdown pass. The 49ers finished 12-4 that year and won the NFL West Division title while Young led the NFL with 36 touchdowns and an average of 278 passing yards per game. He returned in 1992 but played just two games before suffering a season-ending concussion and retired at the end of the season.
Troy Aikman
Dallas Cowboys, 1989-2000
Aikman, a career-long nemesis of Favre, retired at the age of 34. He suffered a concussion in the season opener and was later picked off five times in a loss to the New York Giants. Late in the season, he suffered the 10th concussion of his career when Redskins' linebacker LaVarr Arrington hit him so hard that his head bounced on the turf and his helmet was dented. The hit ended Aikman's season with a 59.5 completion percentage -- the lowest since his second season -- and the Cowboys finished 5-11. Aikman was waived a day before he was to receive a seven-year, $70 million contract extension but found no team willing to sign him and he retired in April 2001.
Vinny Testaverde
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1987-'92
Cleveland Browns, 1993-'95
Baltimore Ravens, 1996-'97
New York Jets, 1998-2003, 2005
Dallas Cowboys, 2004
New England Patriots, 2006
Carolina Panthers, 2007
OK, maybe Testaverde isn't in the same class as the previous candidates, but the fact remains that Testaverde played well into his 40s, and was still getting the job done. He finally retired this past season at the age of 44, having played in seven games with the Panthers. His last full season as a regular starter came in 2004 when he started 15 games for Dallas and threw for 3,532 yards with 17 touchdowns and a league-high 20 interceptions.
