NFL teams were so desperate for quarterbacks with a track record of success they were calling Matt Hasselbeck three years after he retired. 

Per The Ringer's Kevin Clark, Hasselbeck said he received a phone call from a playoff-contending team at some point in 2018 asking if he was "in shape and available to sign."

Hasselbeck brought up the call he received from an NFL team after discussing why he retired from the league. One of the contributing factors was a hit to the jaw from Houston Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus while playing for the Indianapolis Colts. 

"I wasn't eating solid food for a couple of weeks," he said. "They tested me for a concussion. It wasn't, but I couldn't hear out of my right ear. I hurt a joint near my ear. So you get rid of those crown-of-the-helmet hits. You get rid of the full body weight falling on a player."

There are a number of active NFL quarterbacks still playing at a high level well past what would normally be thought of as their prime. Including Tom Brady and Drew Brees this year, there have been four quarterbacks to start in a conference championship game who were at least 40 years old. 

Brady did it last year for the New England Patriots against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brett Favre was the first to do it in January 2010 for the Minnesota Vikings against Brees and the New Orleans Saints. 

Hasselbeck started eight games for the Colts in 2015 at the age of 40. He fared well with 1,690 yards, nine touchdowns and a 60.9 completion percentage. 

Now 43 years old, Hasselbeck has worked as an analyst for ESPN since March 2016.