The Franchise: Drew Brees

With the extraordinary success that Drew Brees has had with the New Orleans Saints since signing as a free agent in 2006, its easy to forget his Chargers career. In his tenure in San Diego, Brees was an above average QB but was overshadowed by his future Hall of Fame tailback in LaDainian Tomlinson. When Brees needed shoulder surgery in 2005, the Chargers decided to cut ties with the gunslinger and the Saints have reaped the benefits of that decision. Few free agents have the kind of effect that Brees had on the Saints when he arrived and turned the team around from 3-13 before his arrival to 10-6. Only years later, the Saints were Super Bowl Champions by defeating the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Brees has been nothing less than spectacular having thrown at least 4000 yards and 26 TDs in each of seasons in the The Big Easy. At 32 years of age, Brees is in the prime of his career and with the Saints offense looking as dangerous as ever, New Orleans could be throwing a few more February parades in the near future. For the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees is the franchise. Whodat!

The Franchise: Tom Brady

When Tom Brady's name was called eleven years ago in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, nobody remotely familiar with the game of football could have predicted the type of success the former-Michigan Wolverine would have in the NFL. Since taking over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in the early stages of the 2001 season, Brady has been nothing short of spectacular, winning Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and two regular season MVP awards. He also led the Pats to a 18-1 record for the 2007 season, though they fell to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. One of the most remarkable things about Brady's immense success is that until the arrivals of Randy Moss and Wes Welker in 2007, the QB dominated the rest of the league with the likes of Troy Brown, Deion Brach, and Reche Caldwell. At 33 years of age, Brady is fresh off his second MVP and perhaps the finest season of his career stats wise (36 TDs, 4 INTs) and remains in the elite upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks. Though the Patriots chose to draft Arkansas QB, Ryan Mallett in the third round of this year's draft, there isn't an ounce of doubt as to who will be under center for the Patriots for years to come. For the New England Patriots, Tom Brady is the franchise.

The Franchise: Peyton Manning

If the phrase "Franchise Quarterback" was in the dictionary, then there would undoubtedly be an accompanying picture of Peyton Manning. Over the last decade plus, no other player in the league has meant more to his team than Manning. Since his rookie season in 1998, Peyton has thrown for at least 3700 yrds and 26 TDs in each season while making the playoffs in all but two years. And if the peripherals weren't enough for you, since the departure of Edgerrin James after the 2005 season and Marvin Harrison's retirement after the 2008 season, Manning has been without a reliable running game and an imposing receiver across from Reggie Wayne. All Peyton has done since losing these superstars is win two MVP awards and appear in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLI. At 35 years of age, Manning may be reaching the home stretch of his storied career though he shows no signs of slowing down. Ignoring age Manning would still the be the top franchise quarterback in the NFL for 2011 but taking it into account, Manning still sits in the second spot on our list. For the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning is the franchise.

The Franchise: Aaron Rodgers

We kick off our list of franchise quarterbacks around the league with the most recent Super Bowl winner, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers capped off his third year as the Packers starting Quarterback by bringing the Lombardi trophy home to Lambeau Field. The 2010 Packers offense flourished and floundered by the arm of Aaron Rodgers with their complete lack of an effective running game. In hopes of adding another dynamic to an all ready explosive offense, the Packers added Hawaii RB Alex Green and Kansas WR Randal Cobb in the draft to give Rodgers some shiny new toys to play with. As is the case with all Super Bowl winners, the Packers QB situation is crystal clear as they have one of the most enviable situations in the league. Their man is fresh of his first Super Bowl win and hungry for another at the ripe old age of 27. For the Green Bay Packers and Cheesehead Nation, Aaron Rodgers is the franchise.

The Franchise: 2011 Edition

Prominently regarded as the most important position on the gridiron, each team's starting quarterback for better or worse, represents the face of and carries the future of the franchise on his back. Most of the game's greatest stars have taken the snaps from under center and include names such as Bart Starr, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Terry Bradshaw. Commonly referred to as the franchise, the position has become even more predominant in the past decade with the decline of the running back and explosion of highly talented gunslingers into the league. The number of elite QBs in the NFL varies from year to year, with only a handful being worthy of consideration as all-time greats. In this series, we look at each team's current quarterback situation, from most envious to least envious, and who the face of each NFL franchise will be in the upcoming season.