Jason Witten "Unretires"

[Gary Najman]

Didn't Steve DeBerg have a huge layoff before reappearing with the Falcons?

Yes, DeBerg last hay played with Miami in 1993 (he started in the Leon Lett game at Dallas on Thanksgiving), and then became an assistant coach for Dan Reeves with the Giants. He followed Reeves to Atlanta and unretired in the 1998 season (the year the Falcons went to theSuperr Bowl) to serve as a backup for Chris Chandler. DeBerg was 44 years old at the time.

[Sonny9]

George Blanda retired in 1959 with the Bears, came back in 1960 with Houston
Tommy O'Connell retired after 1957 with Cleveland came back in 1960 with Buffalo
Marshawn Lynch retired in 2016 with Seattle, came back in 2017 with the Raiders

[conace21]

Didn't Steve DeBerg have a huge layoff before reappearing with the Falcons?

DeBerg had been retired for a full four seasons. He had spent two of them as the Giants QB coach under Dan Reeves. When he reached out to Reeves about returning in the summer of 1998, Reeves assumed it was in a coaching role. He only got a chance because Mark Rypien, who had been signed to backup Chandler, left the team after his young son was diagnosed with cancer.

[Shipley]

Lou Cordileone, a guard/tackle probably best known for being traded by the Giants to the 49ers for YA Tittle, came back after three seasons out of the game. He played for the Giants, 49ers, Steelers and Rams from 1960-63, then came back to play for the Saints 1967-68. Matt Hazeltine played for the 49ers 1955-68 before retiring, then came back for a last hurrah with the Giants in 1970. How's that for a couple of obscure pulls?!

[Ronfitch]

Packer guard Gale Gillingham retired after the '74 season, to return for one more season in '76.

Brett Favre - it seemed - was always about to retire in the off-season for five or six years and when he took it a step further one season, the team took him up on it. But in Green Bay, Don Hutson had already set the standard for "Gonna retire" proclamations.

“Some fellows make a ceremony of announcing their retirement every year,” he said. “I meant it last year, but then decided to try one more season. This time I intend to make it stick.”

- report of Hutson's 1943 retirement announcement

https://www.packers.com/news/hutson-put ... k-20556866