Best of the Packers: Top 10 quarterbacks since 1960
By Phil Watson
1. Brett Favre (1992-2007)
The greatest quarterback in Green Bay Packers history cost the club a first-round pick in the 1992 draft. That’s what the Packers sent to the Atlanta Falcons to get an unknown third-stringer named Brett Favre in February 1992.
He entered the season as a backup to Don Majkowski, entering in the season’s third game when Majik Man sprained an ankle and he got a toehold on the starting job.
For the next 16 years, that is.
Favre started the next 253 regular-season games for the Packers, earning three NFL Most Valuable Player awards (1995, 1996 and a shared honor with Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions in 1997) and was named All-Pro three times.
Also a nine-time Pro Bowler in his 16 years with the Packers, Favre led the NFL in touchdown passes four times, in passing yards and interceptions twice, in attempts three times, in completions twice and in completion percentage in 1998.
He also took the Packers to the playoffs 11 times, with the team going 12-10 in those games, including a win in Super Bowl XXXI.
Favre opted to retire after the 2007 season before changing his mind in August 2008, leading to a touchy situation that ended with Favre being traded to the New York Jets for what turned out to be a third-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
In 16 seasons, Favre completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 61,655 yards, with 442 touchdowns and 286 interceptions, a passer rating of 85.8.
Favre broke Dan Marino’s all-time marks for passing yards and touchdown passes while with the Packers, as well.
Favre was a second-round pick by the Falcons out of Southern Mississippi in the 1991 NFL Draft, but threw just four passes—completing none—during his lone season in Atlanta.
He played one season with the Jets in 2008 before retiring again.
This time, the Minnesota Vikings induced him to leave his Mississippi home for another go around, and he was a Pro Bowler in 2009 while leading the NFL in interception rate at just 1.3 percent of his passes.
His ironman streak came to an end in 2010 after 297 games, despite playing through a myriad of injuries.
He retired for good after the 2010 season and remains the NFL’s all-time leader in completions, pass attempts, passing yards and interceptions. He is second all-time in touchdown passes, surpassed by Peyton Manning last season.
Favre was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame on July 18 and will be eligible for consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
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