Junior Seau broke his arm in Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. If you cast your mind back, he retired in August, then promptly joined the New England Patriots 4 days later. You can't blame him. It was one more good shot at a ring. But I expect the fact that he hasn't come through a season unscathed since 2001 to be a sign that he'll really hang it up this time. Despite his lack of championships, he's still a lock for the Hall of Fame. I expect another retirement announcement from him at the end of the season.

On a lesser note, here are some other players whose names you know that I believe will either hang it up after the season, or be resigned to permanent backup status:

Brett Favre. The Packers are out of the playoffs again. They barely have a chance to finish above .500. Favre will go for the all-time touchdown record then ride off into the sunset. Aaron Rodgers will come in to get some game experience this year. He was drafted to be the QB of the Future, now he gets his chance. Making this change makes a whole lot more sense than trading Jay Cutler for Jake Plummer.

Drew Bledsoe. Tony Romo has already established himself as the QB of the future for Dallas. Some fans even went so far as to hang his name on the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium. He may not live up to the hype, but he sure brings more excitement than Bledsoe. I can't see another team bringing Bledsoe in after this. He'll either retire or be resigned to holding a clipboard for Romo for the rest of his career.

Aaron Brooks (is a bust). He's not God's Gift to Al Davis. You know Davis is looking at the situation in Denver and salivating. He'll bring in another Snake (Jake Plummer) to save the day. He'll use Shanahan's own QB against him. Andrew Walter was thrown to the wolves. Brooks is not the guy you want teaching anybody the ropes. Plummer will come in and work some Rich Gannon-like magic for 2-3 seasons, then Walter or some other draft pick (Brady Quinn?) will take over. If you've noticed that 75% of this paragraph was not about Aaron Brooks, I've made my point.

Mike Vanderjagdt. After watching his performance this year (5 misses) and listening to Bill Parcells express his doubts in Vanderjagdt's ability to win a game, do you think he's going to be around long. I expect at least 3 kickers in the Cowboys' camp next spring. Vanderjagdt will not be the survivor. Jerry Jones will cut bait on this one. Once you hear a coach say "it's in his head" about a kicker, put him in the "Done" file.

UPDATE: I swear I wrote this entry before I saw this. I'm in Germany and I was asleep when this was announced.

Olindo Mare. He was once the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history behind Ryan Longwell. Then he was second to Vinateri. Then he was second to Vanderjagdt. He's now the worst kicker in the NFL (9 misses, 65.3%). He's been going downhill the last couple of years since an overtime game in 2003 against New England that could have sent the Dolphins to the playoffs. He missed one in regulation and one in overtime in that one. That was the year the Dolphins went 10-6 and missed the playoffs. The only reason he still has a job is because he kicks it into the end-zone on kickoffs. But for 1.4 million a year? Not for long. It's in his head.

Tiki Barber. I know he already announced his own retirement. But, do you think anyone would try to convince him to stay? Or, to come out of retirement? Thanks for the memories, Tiki. Just stay away from my team.

Brad Johnson. He had a great year last year with a season-ending run, and the Vikings aren't out of it this year. But, how many coaches are looking at what Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, and (to a lesser degree) Seneca Wallace have done this year and are looking for a younger QB to develop? Of course, Andrew Walter is a warning to all: let your young QBs develop before throwing D-linemen fresh meat. Once again, this paragraph is 90% Johnson-free. Did you even notice?

Despite being replace by Jay Cutler in Denver, I don't think Jake Plummer's career is over. I think there are at least 3 teams (Oakland, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay) that will show interest in him. More on that later.

Anybody else you think will ride off into the sunset this year?