Brett Favre says Mark Gastineau 'belongs in Canton' ahead of ESPN 30 for 30

DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Watt, J.J. Watt. Three of the four players in NFL history with at least 19 sacks in multiple seasons.

Ware is in the Hall of Fame and the Watt brothers seemed destined to join him in Canton, but who is the fourth player?

That would be Mark Gastineau, the New York Jets legend and seemingly forgotten pass-rushing great. Not only is he the fourth player in the aforementioned list, but he is the only player in NFL history to record 19-plus sacks in three separate seasons.

Gastineau, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro with 107.5 career sacks reigned terror on opposing quarterbacks in the early '80s, recording 80.5 sacks from 1981-1985. However, it's the 1984 campaign that sticks out as he won the Defensive Player of the Year award after recording 22 sacks.

Not only was that a league-high total, but it was an NFL record. A record that stood for 18 long years.

"Mark definitely left an indelible mark on the game," wrote Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre in a Twitter thread. "I hope one day he joins me in the Hall of Fame. He's earned it. Look at his numbers. He belongs in Canton."

Now, this begs the question: Why is Favre advocating for Gastineau? It goes back to the 2001 season when the Favre-led Green Bay Packers took on the New York Giants in the final game of the season.

Packers ball, up nine, first-and-10 with 2:46 left on the clock. Favre "booted out of a run" and seemingly gave himself up to the Giants' Michael Strahan. Strahan gets the sack, giving him 22.5 on the year and passing Gastineau for the record.

Now, thanks to a new trailer for an upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the Jets' feared defensive line, we know that Gastineau has held a grudge against Favre for years for the way Strahan broke his record.

In the trailer, Gaustineau confronted Favre about the play in 2023, believing that the legendary quarterback dove to give Strahan the sack record.

"You fell down for him, I'm gonna get my sack back," said Gasitineau, to which Farve replied, "you probably would hurt me."

While Favre's response was in a playful manner, Gastineau was clearly upset. "Well, I don't care, you hurt me, you hurt me," said Gastineau with pain in his voice. "You really hurt me, you hurt me, Brett."

While he can't change the past, Favre wrote that he's remorseful over the play and understands the repercussions it had on Gastineau.

"We played a brutal game. Gastineau played during an era where guys didn't make generational wealth," said the former quarterback in his thread. "I see now how being the sack king would elevate his value at card shows, strengthen his case for the Hall of Fame, increase his demand as a public speaker. I had no way of knowing that then.

"I realize the potential financial implications."

Gastineau is still Hall-eligible, and the new-found recognition of Gastineau may be good news for his case as the football world has a renewed sense of his greatness.

Sacks also tend to correlate well with getting into Canton. He sits tied for 44th in career sacks, with 20 of those ahead of him already in the Hall and a handful of others destined to enter it.