DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas #88 of the Denver Broncos warm up before a game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 28, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
These 10 Hall of Fame-caliber NFL players are synonymous with one uniform, even though they finished their playing days in the wrong colors.
There’s many ways we could have gone here. After all, the NFL has enjoyed 102 seasons and thousands of notable players have adorned the field.
We didn’t make room for Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or Thurman Thomas with the Miami Dolphins. Each easily could have been on the list. The same can be said for Deion Sanders with the Baltimore Ravens or Andre Johnson with the Tennessee Titans.
However, with all the choices we had, these are the 10 we went with:
10 NFL greats who finished their careers in the wrong uniform
10. Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos
Manning spent four fantastic years with the Broncos, winning a Super Bowl and reaching two. However, even though he’s now a Denver staple, he’ll always be rightfully remembered with the horseshoe as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
9. Bruce Smith, Washington Redskins
Smith is the NFL’s all-time leading sack artist, and spent the first 15 years of his career with the Buffalo Bills. Yet the final four were with Washington, where he was still excellent, racking up 29 sacks.
8. O.J. Simpson – San Francisco 49ers
Another Bills’ legend who left the team late in his career was Simpson, who became the league’s first 2,000-yard rusher in a single season with Buffalo in 1973. However, battered from nine years of punishment, Simpson was traded to the 49ers in ’78 before retiring after the 1979 season. He ran for 1,053 yards and four touchdowns with San Francisco.
7. Brett Favre – Minnesota Vikings
Favre looked very out of place with both the Jets and Minnesota Vikings. Hell, you could argue the same for the Atlanta Falcons. However, the Vikings were the most bizarre considering their rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, whom Favre starred for from 1992-07. In two seasons with the Vikings, Favre reached the NFC title game and earned a Pro Bowl berth.
6. Joe Montana – Kansas City Chiefs
Montana was a popular choice as the game’s all-time quarterback before Brady came along, and rightfully so. He won four Super Bowls with the Niners and was the face of a dynasty before being dealt to the Chiefs in 1993. In Kansas City, Montana played two years and reached the postseason twice, including a berth in the AFC Championship Game.
