The NFL is a wonderful league full of fascinating stories.
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Beyond the records and memorable victories, this circuit hides unusual facts which testify to the originality and richness of its history. Here are five:
Brett Favre’s first completed pass
Quarterback Brett Favre had a brilliant 20-season career in the NFL, but let’s just say his beginnings were not glorious. In 1991, when he played for the Atlanta Falcons, Favre attempted four passes in two games. None of them were caught by their receivers, but two were intercepted.
The following year, the man who now played with the Green Bay Packers finally completed his first career pass… by making a pass to himself.
Favre fired a throw that hit a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman’s helmet directly. The pivot then recovered the ball before it hit the ground. He was immediately tackled for a loss of seven yards.
Even more surprising, Favre isn’t the only one who completed his first pass to himself! Houston Texans center CJ Stroud experienced the exact same thing in September 2023.
Drafted at… 28 years old
Did you know that there is no maximum age to be drafted in the NFL?
It is quarterback Chris Weinke who can boast of having been the oldest player to be selected in an auction. He was taken at 28 years and 264 days by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2001 draft.
The 2000 Heisman Trophy winner played in 29 games over five years with the Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. He had just two wins in 20 starts, while throwing 15 touchdown passes and 26 interceptions.
Two other men were also selected at age 28, quarterback Brandon Weeden (28 years, 195 days) and defensive lineman Jeris Pendleton (28 years, 171 days).
The first was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2012, while the second was chosen during the seventh round of the same auction. Like Weinke, both athletes did not have great NFL careers.
Simply dominant
Sammy Baugh achieved something that will never be seen again in Football history. During the 1943 season, the one who wore the colors of the Washington Redskins played at the positions of quarterback, kicker and marauder.
He concluded the campaign with the best completion rate (55.6), the best punt average (45.9 yards) and the most successful interceptions (11). Baugh is the first and only player in history to lead the league in all three statistical categories in the same season.
The Texan was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
A loyal club
There is only one team in Goodell circuit history that has never been renamed or relocated: the Green Bay Packers. The club founded in 1919, a year before the birth of the NFL.
Additionally, the Packers have the longest waiting list for season tickets in the NFL. As of November 2024, there are just under 150,000 names on the waiting list.
Wisconsin’s season tickets are transferable, meaning many people leave them to family members in their will. So there is a renewal rate of over 99%, which means that names disappear from the waiting list very slowly.
No number withdrawn
Retiring a player’s number is the ultimate honor an organization can do. This tradition is common in the NFL and the vast majority of professional sports leagues. However, the Dallas Cowboys have a policy of never retiring a player’s number!
The Texas club justifies this choice by asserting in particular that allowing current players to wear the numbers of legends of the past allows them to maintain a connection with the history of the team.
However, no one on the Cowboys has worn the numbers 8, 12 and 22 for quite a while now. It is unwritten law that these belong to Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and Emmitt Smith respectively.
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