Antonio Pierce Recalls Brett Favre’s “Ultimate Disrespect” to Him

Despite holding a 9-17 NFL head coaching record, Antonio Pierce was a standout player in his heyday. With a Super Bowl championship and a Pro Bowl appearance, he undeniably left his mark on the league. But like most players, he also faced plenty of challenges along the way.

In fact, Pierce’s journey was far from easy. He went undrafted in 2001, and few knew his name. He initially signed with the Washington Redskins before being traded to the New York Giants in 2005. There, he got the break he needed, making the Pro Bowl in 2006. He even helped the team win a Super Bowl in 2007 against the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

Recently, Pierce revealed that his challenges sometimes came in unexpected forms, like interactions with opposing players. He recounted one particularly wild encounter during a game against star QB Brett Favre.

“Brett Favre looks at me and he says, ‘58? Who the hell is 58?’ And I literally, during the play, I just stopped, and said, ‘Damn. That’s like the ultimate disrespect you can get.’ They whooped our tail the whole game, too,” Pierce shared on the NFL on CBS.

As an undrafted rookie trying to make his way on the Washington football team, it was a harsh moment for Pierce. He didn’t say or do anything to provoke Favre either. But perhaps the QB decided to play mind games with his opponent before the play, which worked. The Packers would go on to win the game 37-0.

“Who the hell is 58?”@AntonioPierce tells a hilarious story about Brett Favre not knowing who he was pic.twitter.com/t81BmRL2qe

— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 7, 2025

But in the end, Pierce got his revenge in the 2007 season. The two had a full-circle moment when the former linebacker caused chaos on a play that Favre thought would be an easy completion. It was right before halftime, and the Packers tried to sneak in a screen pass to the running back. But Pierce sniffed it out and tackled the back as soon as he caught it, forcing Green Bay to kick. 

The Giants would go on to win the game in overtime, putting an end to Favre’s season. Not only that, but New York would even go on to pull off the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin came together to defeat the undefeated New England Patriots with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It was a storybook ending to a storybook season.

At the end of it all, though, we should remember that Pierce played a major role. He was a key defensive player who epitomized the grit and grind of the 2007 Giants. And it’s pretty cool that he got to avenge that disrespectful moment with Favre. That must still feel like a sweet victory for him today.