NFL Free Agency: Where Will Alan Faneca Land Next Year?

The name "Alan Faneca" may not stir NFL fans into a frenzy like that of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Michael Vick, but avid football fanatics can tell you all about the man who will go down as one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the game.

Those who don't know who he is won't likely have much time left to watch him in action, as the nine-time Pro Bowl offensive guard is reportedly considering retirement.

The 34 year old Faneca just finished his first season with the Arizona Cardinals—his 13th in the league overall—after spending 10 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two with the New York Jets.

It wasn't all that long ago that the Louisiana native was the highest paid lineman in NFL history after signing a five-year, $40 million deal with the Jets back in March of 2008.

Faneca had long been an integral part of the Steelers' smash-mouth running game under coach Bill Cowher and made an immediate impact in his two years in the Big Apple, helping to propel the Jets' ground attack into the league's elite while elevating a team that had gone 4-12 the year before his arrival to 9-7 in each of his two seasons with Gang Green.

He didn't prove to be quite as helpful in Phoenix in 2010, though one could hardly fault an aging lineman like Faneca for the Cardinals' dismal 5-11 season, what with the losses of Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle, among others, last summer.

Nonetheless, Faneca still has some value as a veteran lineman for teams looking for a stop-gap solution up front who can tutor young hogs in the ways of successful running back stewardship.

Teams like the Redskins, the Broncos, the Rams and the Lions could all use someone like Faneca to improve their bottom-10 rushing attacks, while protecting young quarterbacks like Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Matt Stafford.

And whoever Mike Shanahan picks up at quarterback in the upcoming draft to replace Donovan McNabb.

Then again, Faneca may very well call it a career rather than put himself through the grind of a 14th season in the NFL.

There's no doubt that a man of Faneca's stature—6'5" and 316 pounds—could do without the beating of another trek through the trenches of the NFL, especially considering the fact that he's played through epilepsy since the age of 15.

On top of that, Faneca's resume is already worthy of Canton, with a victory in Super Bowl XL alongside the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis, nine All-Pro selections and a spot on the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s to his credit.

At this point, there's no telling where any NFL player will be next season, with the threat of a league-wide lock-out looming large, as commissioner Roger Goodell and the team owners continue to ramp up their game of chicken with the NFL Players' Association in pursuit of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Should such a scenario play out, it's entirely possible that with a year off from football, Faneca would have the opportunity to recharge his batteries and give it another go in 2012.

Or he may find time off with his wife and daughter to be more to his liking than, say, another five months wrestling with big, sweaty men in pads while risking severe bodily harm.

Tough call, but no one would fault Faneca either way.