It's still a somewhat jarring sight, Brett Favre sporting the green and white of the New York Jets after 16 years in the green and gold of the Green Bay Packers. Yet while the graybeard gunslinger forever will be linked with the "frozen tundra" of Lambeau Field and leading a football revival in the cradle of Cheeseheads, Favre is also bucking a trend that oftentimes does not end well for icons of the game.

It's a path so many of Hall of Famers stumbled down at the end of their respective careers, merely playing out the string for some foreign franchise. Favre is leading another revival, of sorts, in the Big Apple, OK, technically, across the Hudson River in East Rutherford, N.J.

Favre, 39, has the Jets, 4-12 last season, sitting tied atop the AFC East with Miami and New England at 8-5. And Favre's quarterback rating of 88.2 thanks in part to 2,845 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and is nearly 2 ½ points higher than his career rating.

Indeed, Favre never has done anything on the football field to convention, so why start now? Following, then, is a look at 15 other Canton-bound stars who did not have such a soft landing, with most of their careers ending in ignominy on teams with which you never really associate them.

QB Johnny Unitas

You knew him with: Baltimore Colts (1956-72)

He finished with: San Diego Chargers (1973)

The skinny: The late Johnny U, with his flat-top haircut and high-top cleats, set the standard under center in Baltimore. Which is why his memory should not be sullied by a brutal five-game, three-TD, seven-INT tenure in San Diego.

QB Joe Namath

You knew him with: New York Jets (1965-76)

He finished with: Los Angeles Rams (1977)

The skinny: Broadway Joe is forever known for his "guarantee" of victory in Super Bowl III. His four-game stint in L.A. on bum knees, in which he was 2-2 with three TDs and five picks? Not so much.

RB O.J. Simpson

You knew him with: Buffalo Bills (1969-77)

He finished with: 49ers (1978-79)

The skinny: The current Nevada Penal League star was the first to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season but was out of juice upon coming to San Francisco, gaining 1,053 yards in two seasons with more fumbles (8) than TDs (6).

x-QB Ken Stabler

You knew him with: Raiders (1970-79)

He finished with: New Orleans Saints (1982-84)

The skinny: The 1976 NFL MVP was dealt to Houston for Dan Pastorini in 1980. But after a wild-card berth that season the Oilers lost to the Jim Plunkett-led Raiders "Snake" never sniffed the playoffs again, having joined the Saints.

RB Franco Harris

You knew him with: Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-83)

He finished with: Seattle Seahawks (1984)

The skinny: An integral part of four Super Bowl champions in Pittsburgh, Harris was closing in on the rushing record when he joined the Seahawks. In Seattle, he averaged 2.5 yards per carry and did not score a TD.

RB Earl Campbell

You knew him with: Houston Oilers (1978-84)

He finished with: New Orleans Saints (1984-85)

The skinny: A bruising back who led the NFL in rushing his first three years in Houston, he began to break down and rejoined former coach Bum Phillips in New Orleans in a mid-1984 trade but never regained his old stature.

RB Tony Dorsett

You knew him with: Dallas Cowboys (1977-87)

He finished with: Denver Broncos (1988)

The skinny: It came full circle for T.D., who as a rookie helped the Cowboys beat Denver in Super Bowl XII before finishing his career with the Broncos, with whom he averaged 3.9 yards per carry. A knee injury hastened the end.

QB Joe Montana

You knew him with: 49ers (1979-92)

He finished with: Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94)

The skinny: Joe Cool was a Bay Area god who led the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles before injuries, age and Steve Young made him expendable. Montana took the Chiefs to the 1993 AFC title game and a 1994 wild-card game.

RB Eric Dickerson

You knew him with: Los Angeles Rams (1983-87)

He finished with: Atlanta Falcons (1993)

The skinny: Author of the record 2,105 yards rushing in 1984, E.D. was traded to Indianapolis in a contract dispute on Halloween 1987. He returned to Los Angeles with the Raiders in 1992 before fading away in Atlanta, where he started twice.

x-RB Roger Craig

You knew him with: 49ers (1983-90)

He finished with: Minnesota Vikings (1992-93)

The skinny: The first player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season, in 1985, Craig had an uneventful season with the L.A. Raiders before moving on to Minnesota, where he started just four times, scoring six TDs.

RB Marcus Allen

You knew him with: Raiders (1982-92)

He finished with: Kansas City Chiefs (1993-97)

The skinny: Stuck in Al Davis' doghouse with the Raiders, Allen stuck it to Davis by leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns his first season in Kansas City and averaged 4.0 yards per carry as a Chief, 0.1 less than his career average.

QB Warren Moon

You knew him with: Houston Oilers (1984-93)

He finished with: Kansas City Chiefs (1999-2000)

The skinny: A CFL product whose best years were in Houston, Moon was almost as prolific in Minnesota and Seattle, but faded quickly in Kansas City thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, playing in just three games for the Chiefs.

DL Reggie White

You knew him with: Green Bay Packers (1993-98)

He finished with: Carolina Panthers (2000)

The skinny: The late Minister of Defense, a USFL refugee, starred in Philadelphia and won a Super Bowl in Green Bay before a one-year retirement. He didn't miss a beat in Carolina, adding to his then-career record of 198 sacks.

z-WR Jerry Rice

You knew him with: 49ers (1985-2000)

He finished with: Seattle Seahawks (2004)

The skinny: The game's greatest receiver actually enjoyed success in Oakland, getting to a Super Bowl with the Raiders in 2002, but things turned quickly in Silver and Blackdom and Rice was traded midseason to Seattle, where he languished before retiring.

z-RB Emmitt Smith

You knew him with: Dallas Cowboys (1990-2002)

He finished with: Arizona Cardinals (2003-04)

The skinny: A major part of three Super Bowl champions in Big D, Smith's critics charge he merely hung on long enough in Arizona to become the game's all-time leading rusher. Then came further ignominy with "Dancing with the Stars."

x-Current Hall of Fame semifinalist

z-Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame