Brett Favre: 3 Moments Favre Could Have Chosen to Go out on Top

The only thing more often predicted than the end of the world is exactly when ageless quarterback Brett Favre will finally hang them up and call it a career.

The talk began some years back when the Packers drafted a young quarterback named Aaron Rodgers out of Cal in the first round. Favre outlasted Rodgers for some time before the Packers decided it was time to see what the kid had. As a franchise, they haven't looked back.

Rather than ride off into the sunset as one of the few players that spent an entire career with one team, Favre decided to try to prove he had something left in the tank as a member of the New York Jets.

Then, the Favre circus moved on to Minnesota where the gunslinger played two seasons with the Vikings. One season, he was great, and the other, well, not so much.

Coming off that tough 2010 season, Favre has again tried to tell us that he is done. If so, it would be a sad ending to a great career. There were several points in his career that he could have called it quits and left the game on top. Now, it appears it's too late for that.

Let's take a look at those missed opportunities for Favre.

After Losing in the NFC Championship Game in 2008

Sure, no one likes to end their career with a crushing loss, but the timing just felt right at this point. The pressure on the Packers to move ahead with Rodgers was mounting quickly and it was clear that the team was headed in that direction.

Favre no doubt knew this and wanted to make one last run to the Super Bowl. I still think to this day that Favre would have retired had he led his team to the Lombardi Trophy that season.

As it was, the Packers suffered a crushing loss at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.

Due to the feeling of finality surrounding this game and Favre's career, this felt like Favre's last stand. It would have been a perfect way to go out. We could all say that Favre gave it one last go, but fell just short.

He would have retired a Packer and given the way Rodgers has played since then, no Packer fan would have held it against him. As it was, Favre decided he wanted to give it another go 'round. And the rest, as they say, is history.

After 2009 Season with the Vikings

After an injury-plagued season with the Jets, that culminated in the Jets missing out on the postseason largely due to Favre's decline in the second half. Favre called it quits.

Of course, that didn't last too long as he quickly resurfaced as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Favre was looking to prove that his injury-filled season was just that—an injury-filled season and not a sign that he no longer had "it."

Favre did that and more in that first season with Minnesota. Favre threw for 4,202 yards and he had a 33/7 touchdowns to interception ratio.

He again led his team to the NFC championship, and again his team went down, this time to the New Orleans Saints.

The season again ended with a disappointing playoff loss, but it would have signaled a natural end of the road for Favre. He would have accomplished what he set out to do by proving that he was still an elite quarterback.

After 2008 Season with the Jets

Favre's single season with the Jets will go down as a disappointment overall, but it would have been a good chance for Favre to save face.

The season before coming to the Jets, Favre had one of his better seasons out of the last four or five, ending with an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Given how well he played, fans and teammates were split on whether to stick with Favre for another year or so or move on to Aaron Rodgers.

It was that level of indecision that made it alright in the eyes of some for Favre to try his hand in a different location.

Favre got off to a great start for the Jets, but a biceps injury late in the season led to a decline in production and the Jets missing the playoffs altogether. He finished with less than stellar numbers, but along the way he proved that he still had something left.

If he had called it quits after that season, he would have still been able to say that he was playing at a high level before the injury and most of his supporters would have been able to understand his move to New York.