On December 20th 2010 at the age of 41, Brett Favre played his last game in the NFL, his last act as a player was being sacked by Chicago Bears defensive end, Corey Wooton. Favre sustained a concussion on the frozen tundra that was the TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota and signaled the end of a miserable season for the future Hall Of Famer. This sombre end came on the back of Favre coming out of retirement for the third time and off what many argue, was the best season of his career in 2009.
Favre’s cautionary tail has me thinking about those quarterbacks, who are in the twilight of their careers. When is it time for them to hang up their cleats and retire from the game? When will their bodies finally admit that enough is enough and to step out of the spotlight?
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT QUARTERBACK TO RETIRE?
CARSON PALMER, 35
While 35 may not be that old for a quarterback, Carson Palmer makes the list due to his injury history. He is coming off his second knee reconstruction in 8 years and faces a difficult road to recovery. Palmer only played 6 games in 2014 having missed several games early in the season with a bruised shoulder. Before he got injured Palmer had signed a €50 Million, 3 year contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals keeping him with the team until 2018 when he will be 38 years of age.
How long Palmer stays in the league depends on how well his knee holds up. While it is true that such injuries are not as career altering as they were in the past, this being his second such injury could limit his effectiveness in the game.
TONY ROMO, 35
Like Palmer, Tony Romo has a worrying history when it comes to injuries. Romo has had several back issues over the last number of years, missing 1 game in 2014 when he fractured the transverse process in his back in 2 places. In 2013 he missed the final game of the season after suffering a herniated disc in his back while playing Washington, somehow he managed to complete remainder of the game; he required back surgery during the offseason. While Romo’s toughness in recent years is not in question, he did miss 10 games in 2010 with a sprained shoulder.
Statistically Romo had one of his best years in passes completed in 2014 and while only his 6th best season in total yards he did lead the Dallas Cowboys to the postseason, narrowly losing to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. The Cowboys have Romo under contract until 2019 and Romo has shown a willingness to restructure his contract to allow the team maintain quality players.
As long as he remains healthy Romo could be a starter in Dallas for many years to come but in a league where getting to the quarterback is increasingly becoming the way to stop an offense, his history of back injuries has to be a concern.
PEYTON MANNING, 39
The oldest of our twilight quarterbacks, Peyton Manning has been one of the finest players to grace the game. Entering his 19th year in the league, manning has played 17 full seasons, the only blemish was when he missed the entire 2011 season due to an operation to fix a herniated disc in his neck.
The current Denver Bronco has made the postseason the last 3 years and up until the latter part of the 2014 season was playing at a high level. Towards the end of the season, Manning had terrible games against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he threw four interceptions and had a QBR of only 24.1 he also had a less than stellar performance against the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts. Whether this drop in performance was just a dip in form due to a him dealing with a hip injury or the signs of his years in the league catching up with him, is still up for debate but it is becoming evident that Manning is in his last handful of games. He is under contract for 2 more years but it is unlikely he will see the contract through. We may be about to witness the last year of this great quarterback in the NFL.
TOM BRADY, 37
Coming off his 4th Super Bowl win, Tom Brady’s legacy is all but set; the only tarnish is the controversy surrounding Deflategate. Will this taint his career long term? Most likely not but allegations that Brady may have played with an underinflated ball for large portions of his career have to play on the star quarterbacks mind.
Brady has not missed a game since he tore his ALC and MLC in 2008, writing off all but one game that year, so injury has never been a concern for the New England Patriots. Brady has always shown a desire to win games over earning money and his contract is one of the more team friendly in the league; He signed a 3 year extension earlier in 2015 which will see him earn $9 million a year. This is incredibly team friendly when you consider Cam Newton’s new Carolina Panthers contract will see him earn on average $13 million a year.
So with Brady’s desire to win in mind and the recent blemish on his legacy, it is not within the realm of possibility that we will see Brady play well into his 40’s.
DREW BREES, 36
Of all our candidates listed, Drew Brees has to be the least likely to retire any time soon. Sure at 36 years of age he is not the youngest man in the league but he has remained healthy since 2005 and has been consistently one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL for the last decade.
The only real question surrounding Brees’ future is will he finish his career in New Orleans? Currently entering the 4th year of a $100 million contract, rumors were rampant during the offseason that the Saints were trying to trade the signal caller. His contract is also becoming increasingly team unfriendly with it counting $26.4 million against the cap this year and $27 million in 2016. With quarterbacks of his quality at an all time premium, the Saints would be foolish to let his services go.
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