Minnesota Vikings

Brett Favre one of 25 semifinalists for Hall of Fame Class of 2016

Published Nov. 25, 2015 9:51 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Pro Football Hall of fame pared the Class of 2016 candidates down to 25 semifinalists this week, and legendary quarterback Brett Favre made the cut. He is one of five first-time semifinalists.

When you think of HOF semifinalist "@Favre4Official" and "MNF", one play usually comes to mind... #MNF #PFHOF16 https://t.co/dfWRWgE2sG
— NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2015

Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL. Sixteen of those seasons were spent in Green Bay, where he became a Super Bowl champion and a three-time league MVP with the Packers.

Favre, a Southern Miss product, was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft but was traded to the Packers a year later. After his 16 seasons in Green Bay (1992-2007), he played one forgettable season with the New York Jets (2008) before experiencing a career resurgence with the Minnesota Vikings (2009-2010).

The prototypical gun-slinger, Favre retired as the NFL's all-time leader in career passing yards (71,838). He held that record until Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning broke it just a couple weeks ago.

Favre will have his No. 4 jersey retired by the Packers on Thursday, during his former team's Thanksgiving game with the Chicago Bears.

The full list of Hall of Fame semifinalists for 2016 can be found here.