5 NFL players who shouldn't have come out of retirement ft. Brett Favre

Brett Favre - NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Brett Favre - NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement

#3 - Reggie White

Reggie White with the Green Bay Packers
Reggie White with the Green Bay Packers

NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White went down as one of the best defensive ends the league has ever seen. But even he shouldn’t have come back out of retirement. White spent 14 hugely successful years with the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice.

After retiring after the 1998 season, where he won his second DPOTY after amassing 16 sacks and four forced fumbles, he returned in 2000. He signed with the Carolina Panthers. While his 5.5 sacks wasn’t an awful return, it wasn't the Reggie White we all knew and loved. Carolina only finished 7-9.

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#4 - Brett Favre

Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers

Three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre enjoyed an illustrious career with the Green Bay Packers. He was voted to 11 Pro Bowls and named an All-Pro six times. On top of that, he also won Green Bay a Super Bowl. Their fans were upset when he announced his retirement from the NFL after the 2007 season.

The Packers were ready to roll with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, so when Favre decided to return, they traded him to the New York Jets. He would spend a year there before another two with Green Bay’s division rivals the Minnesota Vikings.

Favre did reach the NFC Championship with Minnesota. But was a single playoff appearance and a league-leading 22 interceptions in 2008 worth tarnishing his legacy in Green Bay?

#5 - Randy Moss

Minnesota Vikings v Seattle Seahawks
Minnesota Vikings v Seattle Seahawks

Randy Moss is viewed by many as the greatest wide receiver to ever play in the NFL. However, by the time he came out of retirement in 2012 he was clearly past it. Moss’ career was in its twilight and he initially retired following registering only 393 total yards in a three-franchise season in 2010. That year, he played for the Vikings, the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans.

But at 35-years-old, Moss announced that he had signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. He didn’t really do much in San Francisco, only catching three touchdowns for 434 yards. This is nothing like the Randy Moss we all knew from his heyday. This was the last time he would play in the NFL, and was quite forgettable.

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Edited by John Maxwell
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