The book is now officially closed on what can only be labeled as the oustanding eras of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterbacks for the Green Bay Packers.
Favre, a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, was a 16-year starter from 1992 to 2007; Rodgers, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, was a 15-year starter from 2008 to 2022. Together, the pair threw 1,001 touchdown passes for the Packers during the regular season and playoffs.
If not for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Favre-Rodgers Packers would have been the NFL’s gold standard of the last 30 seasons. They’ll settle for silver.
Between 1992 and 2022, the Packers won 314 regular-season games, the second-most in the NFL trailing only the Patriots (323). The Packers also scored 12,451 points between 1992 and 2022, the most in the NFL, and had the second-highest point differential (plus-2,208). The franchise won Super Bowls XXXI and XLV (losing Super Bowl XXXII) and was second in both playoff games (43) and playoff wins (23), again trailing only the Patriots.
Favre and Rodgers won 15 NFC Central or North titles and made nine NFC title game appearances.
There is no doubting the greatness of either quarterback. But all great quarterbacks must be surrounded by great players to win so many football games and achieve so many milestones. In an attempt to acknowledge both the quarterbacks and the supporting cast, Packers Wire enlisted over 25 Packers-based media members to organize the definitive All-Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers Packers team spanning the franchise’s incredibly successful run between 1992 and 2022:
Here are the 53-player results:
Quarterbacks (3)
1a. Brett Favre (1992-2007)
1b. Aaron Rodgers (2005-2022)
3. Matt Hasselbeck (1999-2000)
Just missed: Matt Flynn (2008-2011, 2013-14)
This project wasn’t about picking between Favre and Rodgers as the starting quarterback, so the real question becomes this: Who was the best backup quarterback not named Favre or Rodgers of last 30 years? Hasselbeck, Favre’s backup for two years, threw only 29 passes for the Packers, but he went on to be a Pro Bowl quarterback for the Seahawks. He just beat out Flynn, who went 3-3 in six starts for the Packers. His 480 passing yards and six touchdown passes against the Lions in Week 17 of 2011 still stand as team records (tied with Rodgers in both).
Running backs (3)
1. Ahman Green (2000-06, 2009)
2. Aaron Jones (2017-present)
3. Dorsey Levens (1994-2001)
Just missed: Ryan Grant (2007-12)
Green, who ranks first in team history in rushing yards, made four consecutive Pro Bowls between 2001 and 2004. During his first five seasons in Green Bay, Green produced 9,036 total yards and scored 61 touchdowns, including his incredible 2,250-yard, 20-touchdown season in 2003. Jones, a slashing runner, ranks third in team history in rushing yards and sixth among running backs all-time in yards per carry. He led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (16) and total touchdowns (19) in 2019. Levens, who had 205 total yards in the 1996 NFC Championship Game win over the Panthers, produced two 1,000-yard seasons and three 10-touchdown seasons. He was a Pro Bowler in 1997 after creating 1,805 total yards and 12 touchdowns. All three backs were (or are) terrific runners and receivers. Grant, who ranks sixth in team history in rushing, just missed the cut.
Fullback (1)
1. William Henderson (1995-2006)
Just missed: John Kuhn (2007-15)
Henderson, who played in 188 regular season games and 16 playoff games for the Packers, scored 19 total touchdowns on 443 total touches. He was a bruising blocker, effective short-yardage runner, capable receiver and quality special teamer. In 2004, Henderson was voted a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro. Kuhn, a three-time Pro Bowler who scored 23 touchdowns over nine seasons in Green Bay, received a handful of votes, but Henderson was the overwhelming winner.
Wide receivers (6)
1. Davante Adams (2014-2021)
2. Sterling Sharpe (1988-1994)
3. Jordy Nelson (2008-17)
4. Donald Driver (1999-2012)
5. Antonio Freeman (1995-2001, 2003)
6. Greg Jennings (2006-12)
Just missed: Javon Walker (2002-05)
What a group. Adams and Sharpe combined for 10 Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pros despite the pair only playing 15 total seasons in Green Bay. Adams caught 73 touchdowns; Sharpe had 65. Both were individually dominant and game-breaking receivers who (one day) belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nelson, a favorite target of Rodgers, had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons and 69 total touchdowns in nine seasons. Between 2011 and 2014, Nelson averaged 16.1 yards per catch and 10.8 yards per target, making him one of the most efficient pass-catchers in football. Driver, a three-time Pro Bowler, ranks first in team history in catches (743) and receiving yards (10,137). He produced seven 1,000-yard seasons: five with Favre, two with Rodgers. Freeman caught 57 total touchdowns, had three 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was a first-team All-Pro in 1998. Between 1996-99, he produced 10 postseason touchdown catches, including a then-record 81-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XXXI. Jennings had a season with 1,000 receiving yards and a season with 10 or more receiving touchdowns while playing with both Favre and Rodgers. He caught a pair of touchdown passes in Super Bowl XLV and was a Pro Bowler in both 2010 and 2011.
Tight ends (3)
1. Jermichael Finley (2008-2013)
2. Bubba Franks (2000-07)
3. Mark Chmura (1993-99)
Just missed: Keith Jackson (1995-96)
Finley looked primed for stardom but got derailed by a pair of injuries; the first took out his promising 2010 season after only four games, while the second — a neck injury — ended his football career. A dynamic receiving weapon, he caught 20 touchdown passes and averaged 8.6 yards per target over six seasons and 70 games. Franks, a first-round pick in 2000, caught 32 touchdown passes and was a Pro Bowler each year between 2001 and 2003. Chmura, also a three-time Pro Bowler (1995, 1997-98), caught 17 touchdown passes, including seven during a dynamic 1995 season.
Offensive line (10)
OT: David Bakhtiari (2013-present)
OT: Chad Clifton (2000-2011)
OG: Josh Sitton (2008-2015)
OG: Marco Rivera (1997-2004)
C: Corey Linsley (2014-2020)
OT: Bryan Bulaga (2010-19)
OT: Mark Tauscher (2000-10)
OG: Elgton Jenkins (2019-present)
OG: Mike Wahle (1998-2004)
C: Frank Winters (1992-2002)
Just missed: T.J. Lang (2009-16), Mike Flanagan (1998-2005)
This is a terrific group featuring core players from both eras. All five of the starters earned either first-team All-Pro or Pro Bowl recognition while in Green Bay. Within the backups, Jenkins and Winters both made Pro Bowls. At one point, Bakhtiari, Sitton, Linsley and Bulaga all played on the same line. How hard was this selection process along the offensive line? Lang and Flanagan, two honorable mentions who didn’t make the final roster, both made Pro Bowls with the Packers. Excellent offensive line play was a trademark of both Favre and Rodgers eras.
Defensive line (5)
1. Kenny Clark (2016-present)
2. Gilbert Brown (1993-2003)
3. B.J. Raji (2009-15)
4. Santana Dotson (1996-2001)
5. Mike Daniels (2012-18)
Just missed: Cullen Jenkins (2004-10)
Clark, a two-time Pro Bowler, has 26.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 38 tackles for losses in 106 career games. He was, at one point, considered to be the premier nose tackle in the NFL and is still a dominant interior defender. Brown, a 340-pound behemoth, clogged running lanes in Green Bay for a decade. As a young player, Brown was a quality pass-rusher, tallying 7.0 sacks between 1994-97. Raji, a first-round pick in 2009 and a Pro Bowler in 2011, flashed star qualities during his first three seasons (6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss in 2010) but faded. He is best remembered for his interception return for a touchdown to help seal the Packers’ NFC title game win in Chicago. Dotson, a major addition to the 1996 Super Bowl team, was one of the NFL’s most underrated interior disruptors during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He produced at least 5.0 sacks in three of his six seasons in Green Bay. Daniels created 29.0 sacks and 47 tackles for loss over seven seasons with the Packers. Undersized but tough as nails, Daniels made a Pro Bowl in 2017 after producing 5.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits.
Edge rusher (4)
1. Reggie White (1993-98)
2. Clay Matthews (2009-18)
3. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (2000-2008)
4. Aaron Kampman (2002-2009)
Just missed: Rashan Gary (2019-present), Julius Peppers (2014-16), Za’Darius Smith (2019-2021)
White and Matthews dominated the voting process. White, one of the greatest free-agent signings in NFL history, needed only 94 games to produce 68.5 sacks. He was a transformational force for the Packers franchise and a Pro Bowler during all six of his seasons in Green Bay. Matthews, a first-round pick in 2009, produced four seasons with 10 or more sacks and made six Pro Bowls. He intercepted six passes, forced 15 fumbles and scored three defensive touchdowns. “KGB” had four 10.0-sack seasons and six with 8.0 or more. He was a Pro Bowler in 2003, had 13.5 sacks in both 2001 and 2004 and finished his Packers career with 74.5 sacks and 17 forced fumbles. Kampman, a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, was dominant during a three-year stretch spanning 2006-08, when he created 37.0 sacks and 84 quarterback hits in 47 games. His 15.5 sacks in 2006 are the third-most in a season in Packers history. Gary, who could emerge as an elite edge rusher for the Jordan Love era, just missed the cut based on vote count.
Linebacker (4)
1. Nick Barnett (2003-10)
2. A.J. Hawk (2006-14)w
3. De’Vondre Campbell (2021-present)
4. Wayne Simmons (1993-97)
Just missed: George Koonce (1992-99), Desmond Bishop (2007-11)
Both Barnett and Hawk were tackle machines. Barnett, the 29th overall pick in 2003, produced 100 or more tackles in six seasons, including five straight to start his Packers career. He also intercepted nine passes, recovered seven fumbles and produced 15.5 sacks. Hawk, the fifth overall pick in 2006, had 100 or more tackles in five seasons and 80 or more in all nine of his seasons with the Packers. He departed Green Bay with nine interceptions, 34 pass breakups, 19.0 sacks and 55 tackles for loss. In 2021, Campbell became the franchise’s first first-team All-Pro at off-ball linebacker since Ray Nitschke. He has 242 total tackles and four interceptions in two seasons with the Packers. Simmons, a first-round pick in 2003, was a dominant do-it-all linebacker and a key member of the Packers’ defensive core during the mid-1990s. He started every game in 1995 and 1996 before being traded to Kansas City in 1997.
Cornerback (5)
1. Charles Woodson (2006-12)
2. Jaire Alexander (2018-present)
3. Al Harris (2003-09)
4. Tramon Williams (2007-14, 2018-19)
5. Sam Shields (2010-16)
Just missed: Mike McKenzie (1999-2004), Craig Newsome (1995-98)
It’s hard to imagine many (if any) franchises employed a better group of five cornerbacks over the last 30 years. Woodson, one of the greatest football players to ever step foot on a field, intercepted 38 passes, forced 15 fumbles and scored 10 defensive touchdowns over just seven seasons in Green Bay. He was a four-time All-Pro and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. Twice, he led the NFL in while with the Packers. Alexander, a first-round pick in 2018, is a two-time All-Pro. He’s emerged as one of the NFL’s best perimeter coverage players. In the 2020 NFC title game, Alexander picked off Tom Brady twice. Harris intercepted 14 passes and broke up 87 passes over seven seasons. He was a two-time Pro Bowler (2007-08). His signature play was a walk-off pick-six of Matt Hasselbeck in 2003. Williams, who went from undrafted free agent to legit No. 1 corner, had 25 interceptions and 130 pass breakups over 10 seasons. Between 2008 and 2011, Williams produced 71 pass breakups and 19 interceptions in just 63 games. His interception of Matt Ryan before halftime helped propel the Packers into the NFC title game in 2010. Shields, another undrafted free agent success story, earned the final spot. He intercepted 18 passes and was a Pro Bowler in 2014. His pair of interceptions in Chicago played a big part in the Packers advancing to Super Bowl XLV.
Safeties (4)
1. LeRoy Butler (1990-2001)
2. Nick Collins (2005-11)
3. Darren Sharper (1997-2004)
4. Morgan Burnett (2010-17)
Just missed: Eugene Robinson (1996-97), Adrian Amos (2019-22)
Butler, a versatile safety, changed the position forever. He could cover, tackle and blitz. A Pro Football Hall of Famer and four-time All-Pro, Butler recorded 20.5 sacks and 38 interceptions while producing 80 or more tackles six times. Collins was blazing a path towards the Hall of Fame when a neck injury ended his career. prematurely. He made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams each year between 2008 and 2010, creating a three-year stretch when he intercepted 17 passes, recovered four fumbles and scored four defensive touchdowns. Sharper, a two-time All-Pro in Green Bay, intercepted 36 passes and scored five defensive touchdowns in eight seasons. He later signed with the Vikings and Saints and made four more All-Pro teams. Burnett, a model of consistency, intercepted nine passes, forced eight fumbles, recovered nine fumbles and produced almost 700 total tackles over eight seasons.
Special teams (5)
K: Mason Crosby (2007-22)
P: Craig Hentrich (1994-97)
LS: Brett Goode (2008-17)
KR/PR: Desmond Howard (1996)
ST: Jarrett Bush (2006-14)
Just missed: Keisean Nixon (2022-present), Travis Jervey (1995-98), Jeff Janis (2014-17)
Crosby, who played in every game for the Packers over the last 16 years, holds just about every meaningful kicking record in team history. Hentrich spent four seasons in Green Bay and won a Super Bowl, but he emerged as one of the NFL’s most consistent punters and made two Pro Bowls over 12 seasons with the Titans. Goode snapped for 10 seasons and appeared in 166 total games in Green Bay. Howard’s one season with the Packers was arguably the greatest kick and punt returning season of all-time. He led the NFL in punt return yards (875, setting the NFL record) and touchdowns (3). During the postseason, he returned a punt for a score and then won Super Bowl XXXI MVP after returning a kickoff 99 yards for the game-clinching score. Bush played in 137 games but made only eight starts, highlighting his core status on special teams. In Super Bowl XLV, Bush intercepted Ben Roethlisberger during the first half.
