Brett Favre's best post-Packers moments

Much was made of Brett Favre’s departure from the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2008 season, and for good reason.

One of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, who retired following the 2007 campaign, was coming back — not for the Packers, but for the New York Jets.

While it’s true Favre’s time with both the Jets and the Minnesota Vikings wasn’t as memorable as his days at Lambeau Field, those stints featured plenty of great moments.

Here are the five most memorable Favre highlights from his last few seasons.

5. Off to a flying start

It is always jarring to see a stalwart in a new uniform, and when Favre suited up for the Jets in 2008, few knew what to expect.

However, he proved he still had some magic left in his fourth game with New York, which came against the Arizona Cardinals. He set a new career high, with six touchdown passes, one shy of the NFL single-game record.

The win was part of an 8-3 start for Gang Green.

4. Capping off a season in style

When Favre moved to the Vikings, he responded with a brilliant 2009 season, where he set a personal best for completion percentage (68.4%) and a career-low for interceptions (seven).

He finished with a flourish, with 316 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-7 drubbing of the Chicago Bears in the final game of the regular season.

3. One more playoff victory

The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship Game following the 2009 regular season, and they ultimately fell in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

The week before, though, Favre was masterful in a 34-3 shellacking of the Dallas Cowboys. He threw four touchdown passes in the rout, the final postseason win of his legendary career.

2. The gunslinger’s last ride

Favre suffered several injuries late in the 2010 season (his last campaign), but he gave his fans one final thrill in a November contest against Arizona.

The Vikings were behind by two touchdowns with less than five minutes remaining, but Favre willed Minnesota back with a pair of scoring drives to send the game into overtime. Ryan Longwell kicked a game-winning field goal in the extra time to finish off the comeback, and Favre wound up with a career-high 446 passing yards.

1. Beating his old team (and everyone else)

When Favre’s Vikings beat the Packers 30-23 in the fourth week of the 2009 season, the veteran earned a unique “first” to add to his collection of accomplishments.

He became the first quarterback since the NFL expanded to 32 teams to earn a victory over each franchise in the league. Only two other quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, have done it since.