data-mm-id=”_zi7j2uxix”>The end is near for arguably the greatest generation of quarterbacks in NFL history. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger enter the playoffs with at least one foot out the door as the retirement clock counts down the final seconds of their illustrious careers.Standing in the path of the storybook ending each hopes to author is a new generation of quarterbacks who want nothing more than to dash their predecessor's dreams of being the next Peyton Manning or John Elway. How the next five weeks unfold will determine legacies and prestige, but it will also signal an official passing of the torch from one group of all-timers to their presumed successors. Brees, 41, has already reportedly decided to retire after this season and assume his post as an NFL analyst at NBC. Rivers, 39, and Roethlisberger, 38, have likewise had retirement rumors floating around them this season and could be embarking upon their final playoff runs. Brady seems hellbent on playing until someone carts him off the field in a wheelchair, but at age 43, time is not on his side. Yet what could be seen a dark cloud approaching the NFL with the expected retirement of four quarterbacks with their names engraved firmly in the record books and, for three of them, in Super Bowl lore, is brightened immensely with the knowledge greatness is ready to replace them. Patrick Mahomes has already won a Super Bowl, a Super Bowl MVP, and a regular-season MVP at the ripe age of 25. Lamar Jackson, 24, has won a regular-season MVP and set the NFL record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback. Josh Allen, 24, likely would have won the MVP this year if it wasn't for Aaron Rodgers and is on the cusp of his second playoff run as a starter in Buffalo. Even Baker Mayfield, 25, took steps forward this year, though he's not in the same league as the aforementioned trio. That playoff list doesn't include Deshaun Watson, who is a three-time Pro Bowler and still only 25-years-old. Kyler Murray, 23, who was a Pro Bowler this season after winning Rookie of the Year last season, and Justin Herbert, 22, who will likely follow Murray as Rookie of the Year, are also part of this next wave of talented signal-callers. Most expect Trevor Lawrence, 21, to be better than any of them outside of Mahomes and there's always the possibility of an unknown star emerging. That gives the NFL at least seven franchise faces to further build their brand around for the next 15-20 years. Yet as this new generation takes over, the old guys will try their darnedest to further cement their legacies. Whether that be Brady winning a seemingly-unfathomable seventh Super Bowl or Roethlisberger winning a third or Brees and Rodgers winning a second or Rivers a first, each one of them is driven not only by the opportunity to claim glory, but also the knowledge this could be their last real shot at it.
Related Posts
In-demand Salzburg striker Erling Haaland has ambitions to play in the Premier League, according to his father.
Former Leeds United and Manchester City defender Alf-Inge Haaland confirmed his teenage son, one of Europe s most sought-after young players, would like to play in England at some point in his career.
Serie A champions Juventus have been linked to the 19-year-old, as have LaLiga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The younger Haaland has scored seven goals in four Champions League appearances in what is his first full season with Salzburg.
While expecting his Leeds-born son to follow in his Premier League footsteps, Alf-Inge suggested the path he took would have no sway over Erling s potential destination.
He was a Leeds fan and a [Manch…
Roma captain Alessandro Florenzi has signed for LaLiga club Valencia on loan until the end of the season.
Florenzi, who came through the ranks at Roma, has been a regular in their first team since 2012-13.
Having come into the side as a midfielder, Florenzi has regularly been deployed at right-back for both club and country, making 35 appearances so far for Italy.
However, the 28-year-old has fallen down the pecking order under Paulo Fonseca this term, featuring in 14 Serie A matches, making 12 starts.
BENVENUTO !
Official Statement
— Valencia CF English (@valenciacf_en)
Valencia have now confirmed they have reached an agreement with Roma for Florenzi to sign on loan for the rest of 2019-20.
Los Ches sit seventh in LaL…
Neymar will wear the number 10 shirt at Paris Saint-Germain after completing his world-record transfer from Barcelona.
PSG completed the sensational move for the Brazil forward on Thursday, a switch that has cost them €222million after they met his Camp Nou release clause.
Neymar wore number 11 at Barca with Lionel Messi occupying the 10 shirt, which is the jersey he wears for Brazil s national team.
His new club confirmed after the 25-year-old s move that will get the chance to wear 10 in Paris.
Wearing No. 10 for PSG, . Has a nice ring to it, don t you think?!
— PSG English (@PSG_English)
The PSG number 10 shirt was previously worn by talisman club icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic before he moved to Manchester United last year. Javier Past…
Barcelona search for answers as Lisbon rout begs questions about Setien, Messi and a Camp Nou crisis
It was the darkest of nights for Barcelona in Lisbon s Stadium of Light.
How wonderfully merciless Bayern Munich were, as indulgent in their fondness for goals and insatiable in their will to humiliate the opposition as that great Germany side that humbled Brazil 7-1 at the 2014 World Cup.
But for Barcelona, the shame, the recklessness of it, the lack of spine. These footballing invertebrates will return to Catalonia not to fanfare but in disgrace.
They were possibly due a comeuppance, and here it was writ large.
A humiliation for history said the Spanish newspaper Marca on its website at full-time. The Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo said it was an historic debacle .
That scoreline. 8-2. Eight-two. Barcelona shipped eight goals. Everywhere you …
Best Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker:
Only days removed from their Premier League meeting at Anfield earlier in the week, Liverpool and Arsenal will turn their attention to EFL Cup duties on Thursday night.
Liverpool
Starting with the hosts, capitalising on Manchester City’s early slip-up and with Jurgen Klopp praising his side’s display on Monday night, Liverpool have certainly laid down an early marker since opening the 2020/2021 campaign. Coming from behind and landing what was a thoroughly deserved 3-1 win over the Gunners at Anfield earlier in the week, the defending champions have opened the New Year with a 100% start and are one of just three teams who can boast such a record heading into October. While the former Borussia Dortmund boss might have a mild headach…
Celtic announced that interim manager Neil Lennon has been offered a permanent contract after completing the treble-treble on Saturday.
Victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup final with a brace from Odsonne Edouard saw Celtic complete a domestic sweep for the third consecutive season for the first time in their history.
Lennon replaced Brendan Rodgers who departed for Leicester City in February when the club had already won the Scottish League Cup, but he guided them to Scottish Premiership success before this weekend s triumph.
And with the 47-year-old only under contract until the end of the season, Celtic confirmed that they had offered Lennon the job on a full-time basis.
However, in a short statement on Twitter, the club did not reveal whether Lenn…
The pressure on Ronald Koeman intensified after his 10-man Barcelona side were held to a dire 0-0 draw by Cadiz at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Thursday.
Speculation about the Dutchman s future has been rife following a slow start to the LaLiga campaign that had seen Barca drop points to Athletic Bilbao and Granada in their opening four games, while also losing 3-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Things did not get much better for the Catalan giants in Andalusia as Cadiz comfortably kept them at bay, with their misery compounded midway through the second half when Frenkie de Jong saw red for two bookable offences.
Koeman was also dismissed in the closing seconds for his protests during a frantic finish.
A point did at least move Barcelona up …
Liverpool were denied victory by VAR as Andrew Robertson was penalised late on to allow Brighton and Hove Albion to rescue a 1-1 Premier League draw at the AMEX Stadium.
Diogo Jota s ninth Liverpool goal looked set to prove enough for the Reds to move three points clear of Tottenham at the top of the table, but the Reds work was undone in stoppage time.
Robertson swung out a foot and clipped Danny Welbeck and, though referee Stuart Attwell spotted no infringement, he changed his decision once he checked the pitch-side monitor.
Unlike Neal Maupay, who drilled wide from 12 yards to let Liverpool off the hook in the first half, Pascal Gross made no mistake.
It was a third VAR call of the game that went against Liverpool, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane…
Although Atletico Madrid might not have been able to end the weekend at the top of the La Liga table, Diego Simeone s men certainly laid down a real marker in the capital.
Picking up a 1-0 win against , some across Spain have billed them as an early-season contender and few would argue that Los Colchoneros don t have a golden opportunity ahead of them.
Priced at 2/1 with to clinch their first domestic crown since 2014, how have Atletico played themselves into a real title hunt?
Finding a clinical edge
While Atletico Madrid might have built their reputation under for their rugged displays at the back, they have gained a string of plaudits this season for what has been a new-found clinical edge in the final third.
Shocking many and managing to bring the…
Inter secured Champions League qualification in their penultimate game of the Serie A season, dealing a fatal blow to Atalanta s own top-four hopes with a 3-2 win at San Siro.
The Nerazzurri – finalists in Europe s premier club competition this term – stormed into a two-goal lead within just two minutes and 49 seconds after Romelu Lukaku and Nicolo Barella were on target.
Atalanta needed a result to keep their slim hopes of a top-four finish alive, and they were handed a lifeline by Mario Pasalic before the interval on Saturday.
Yet Inter added a deserved third through Lautaro Martinez after the break, making Andre Onana s late own goal a mere Atalanta consolation, as the Nerazzurri moved eight points clear of their fifth-placed visitors.
Lu-La photo…