Montana, Unitas, Manning and Culpepper all went to the AFC West.
The table below shows all players who accumulated at least 100 points of career AV with one team and then switched teams. Len Dawson played for the Steelers and Browns before embarking on a Hall of Fame career with the Chiefs, but he won’t make this list since he never switched teams after his tenure in Kansas City. Johnny Unitas does because he finished his career with the Chargers. Brett Favre’s stint with the Falcons doesn’t count, but his time with the Jets and Vikings does.1
As you might suspect, the top of the list is dominated by quarterbacks. Peyton Manning will join Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana and Brett Favre as Hall of Fame quarterbacks that looked a bit out of place donning other colors. But it’s actually quarterback Jim Hart who spent the most seasons with one team, the St. Louis Cardinals, before a one-year stint with the Redskins.
Years | Years | Player | Tm | AV | Other teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992--2007 | 16 | Brett Favre | GNB | 222 | NYJ-MIN |
| 1998--2011 | 14 | Peyton Manning | IND | 220 | DEN |
| 1985--2000 | 16 | Jerry Rice | SFO | 215 | OAK-SEA |
| 1956--1972 | 17 | Johnny Unitas | BAL | 201 | SDG |
| 1985--1999 | 15 | Bruce Smith | BUF | 193 | WAS |
| 1964--1978 | 15 | Carl Eller | MIN | 187 | SEA |
| 1967--1978 | 12 | Alan Page | MIN | 178 | CHI |
| 1952--1965 | 14 | Bill George | CHI | 169 | RAM |
| 1990--2002 | 13 | Junior Seau | SDG | 162 | MIA-NWE |
| 1990--2002 | 13 | Emmitt Smith | DAL | 162 | ARI |
| 1968--1981 | 14 | Ron Yary | MIN | 153 | RAM |
| 1979--1992 | 14 | Joe Montana | SFO | 146 | KAN |
| 1988--2003 | 16 | Tim Brown | RAI | 143 | TAM |
| 2001--2009 | 9 | LaDainian Tomlinson | SDG | 142 | NYJ |
| 1996--2007 | 12 | Zach Thomas | MIA | 141 | DAL |
| 1981--1993 | 13 | Rickey Jackson | NOR | 141 | SFO |
| 1997--2007 | 11 | Jason Taylor | MIA | 136 | WAS-NYJ |
| 1988--1999 | 12 | Thurman Thomas | BUF | 135 | MIA |
| 1974--1988 | 15 | Mike Webster | PIT | 135 | KAN |
| 1956--1970 | 15 | Forrest Gregg | GNB | 135 | DAL |
| 1955--1966 | 12 | Doug Atkins | CHI | 135 | NOR |
| 1972--1983 | 12 | Franco Harris | PIT | 133 | SEA |
| 1966--1983 | 18 | Jim Hart | STL | 133 | WAS |
| 1985--1992 | 8 | Reggie White | PHI | 132 | GNB-CAR |
| 1950--1958 | 9 | Emlen Tunnell | NYG | 132 | GNB |
| 1997--2008 | 12 | Tony Gonzalez | KAN | 131 | ATL |
| 1985--1999 | 15 | Andre Reed | BUF | 131 | WAS |
| 1977--1987 | 11 | Tony Dorsett | DAL | 131 | DEN |
| 1961--1971 | 11 | Deacon Jones | RAM | 129 | SDG-WAS |
| 1988--1999 | 12 | Randall McDaniel | MIN | 129 | TAM |
| 1994--2007 | 14 | Isaac Bruce | RAM | 128 | SFO |
| 1999--2009 | 11 | Donovan McNabb | PHI | 127 | WAS-MIN |
| 1981--1990 | 10 | Ronnie Lott | SFO | 125 | RAI-NYJ |
| 1995--2003 | 9 | Warren Sapp | TAM | 125 | OAK |
| 1978--1993 | 16 | Clay Matthews | CLE | 125 | ATL |
| 1980--1993 | 14 | Art Monk | WAS | 123 | NYJ-PHI |
| 1961--1973 | 13 | Jim Tyrer | DTX | 123 | WAS |
| 1987--1996 | 10 | Rod Woodson | PIT | 122 | SFO-BAL-OAK |
| 1996--2008 | 13 | Brian Dawkins | PHI | 121 | DEN |
| 1990--2000 | 11 | Richmond Webb | MIA | 121 | CIN |
| 1981--1993 | 13 | Steve McMichael | CHI | 121 | GNB |
| 1984--1993 | 10 | Warren Moon | HOU | 120 | MIN-SEA-KAN |
| 1990--2001 | 12 | Cris Carter | MIN | 120 | MIA |
| 1997--2008 | 12 | Orlando Pace | STL | 119 | CHI |
| 1990--2000 | 11 | John Randle | MIN | 119 | SEA |
| 1961--1969 | 9 | Herb Adderley | GNB | 119 | DAL |
| 1999--2008 | 10 | Torry Holt | STL | 117 | JAX |
| 1999--2011 | 13 | Jeff Saturday | IND | 116 | GNB |
| 1983--1993 | 11 | Richard Dent | CHI | 116 | SFO-IND-PHI |
| 1995--2005 | 11 | Steve McNair | HOU | 115 | BAL |
| 1953--1963 | 11 | Jim Ringo | GNB | 115 | PHI |
| 1985--1995 | 11 | Ray Childress | HOU | 114 | DAL |
| 1999--2005 | 7 | Edgerrin James | IND | 113 | ARI-SEA |
| 1950--1957 | 8 | Len Ford | CLE | 111 | GNB |
| 1994--2005 | 12 | Larry Allen | DAL | 110 | SFO |
| 1954--1965 | 12 | Stan Jones | CHI | 108 | WAS |
| 1996--2007 | 12 | Willie Anderson | CIN | 107 | BAL |
| 1965--1976 | 12 | Joe Namath | NYJ | 107 | RAM |
| 1963--1976 | 14 | Winston Hill | NYJ | 107 | RAM |
| 1985--1993 | 9 | Chris Doleman | MIN | 106 | ATL-SFO |
| 1998--2008 | 11 | Fred Taylor | JAX | 106 | NWE |
| 1982--1992 | 11 | Marcus Allen | RAI | 106 | KAN |
| 1977--1989 | 13 | Stanley Morgan | NWE | 106 | IND |
| 1980--1991 | 12 | Jacob Green | SEA | 105 | SFO |
| 1971--1978 | 8 | Isiah Robertson | RAM | 105 | BUF |
| 1969--1977 | 9 | O.J. Simpson | BUF | 105 | SFO |
| 1988--1997 | 10 | Greg Lloyd | PIT | 104 | CAR |
| 1995--2003 | 9 | Mark Brunell | JAX | 103 | WAS-NOR-NYJ |
| 2001--2010 | 10 | Chad Ochocinco | CIN | 102 | NWE |
| 1971--1983 | 13 | Harold Carmichael | PHI | 102 | DAL |
| 1963--1977 | 15 | Jackie Smith | STL | 102 | DAL |
| 1958--1969 | 12 | Ken Gray | CRD | 102 | HOU |
| 1985--1995 | 11 | Randall Cunningham | PHI | 101 | MIN-DAL-BAL |
| 1959--1968 | 10 | Richie Petitbon | CHI | 101 | RAM-WAS |
| 1985--1995 | 11 | Lomas Brown | DET | 100 | ARI-CLE-NYG-TAM |
| 1973--1984 | 12 | Joe Ferguson | BUF | 100 | DET-TAM-IND |
| 1983--1990 | 8 | Roger Craig | SFO | 100 | RAI-MIN |
| 1979--1989 | 11 | Fred Smerlas | BUF | 100 | SFO-NWE |
| 1977--1989 | 13 | Raymond Clayborn | NWE | 100 | CLE |
| 1968--1978 | 11 | Claude Humphrey | ATL | 100 | PHI |
Jeff Saturday will finally get to snap the ball to a franchise quarterback.
Peyton Manning signing with the Broncos obviously stole headlines this off-season. But he’s not the only prominent Colt who switched teams this off-season, as Jeff Saturday is now in Green Bay. He’s the only other player with 100 points of career AV with one team that will be suiting up for a new one in 2012.
Let’s close out the week with a poll:
Loading ...- Note that pass rushers Chris Doleman, Jason Taylor and Richard Dent all returned to their original teams after a stint with another franchise; for them, I’m only including their AV during their first stay with those teams. [↩]
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Then of course, I’m old. Voted for Johnny U
I don’t remember Orlando Pace on the Bears at all!
Is there an easy way to trim this list some more? Marcus Allen and Thurman Thomas aren’t quite the same thing.
How about only seeing the guys who accumulated less than 10 career AV for one of their “twilight” teams?
The reason you don’t remember Pace being with the Bears is because he was ineffective and i believe injured for much of his less-than-two-year tenure. He sat behind Chris Williams before the Bears cut him.
Dont forget Favre playing for the Falcons before his glory days. Still seems strange when I see footage of him there.
Please add another couple to the list: Lance Alworth played for the Cowboys after a stellar career with the San Diego Chargers; John Jefferson was traded to the Green Bay Packers and withered; Fred Dean left the Chargers and played with the 49′ers.