starter Tom Brady (the only other quarterback on New England's roster at the time was Matt Cassel). Testaverde kneeled down for the final play in a victory against the Packers on November 19, 2006. Testaverde threw a touchdown pass to Troy Brown on December 31, 2006, against the Tennessee Titans, giving him at least one touchdown pass for the twentieth straight season, extending his NFL record. The Patriots defeated the Jets, Testaverde's former team, in the first round of the playoffs, and Testaverde took the last couple of snaps to run out the clock. Testaverde wore #14 with the Patriots, the second time the number has been re-issued since Steve Grogan's retirement as P.K. Sam wore it earlier in the decade (since then the number has been used more frequently). On May 29, 2007, Testaverde stated his interest in returning to the Patriots for the 2007 NFL season, and on July 13, 2007 confirmed this with Sporting News Radio. He officially signed a 1-year contract for $825,000 on August 18, 2007, but was released on September 1, 2007. Carolina Panthers With Jake Delhomme out for the 2007 season due to an elbow injury he suffered in a Week 3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and David Carr out with a sore back, the Panthers signed Testaverde on October 10, 2007. Testaverde, wearing #16, started his first game with the team on October 14, 2007, against the Arizona Cardinals. In that game he threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith, extending his NFL record to 21 consecutive seasons with a touchdown pass. After leading the Panthers to a 25–10 victory, the 43-year-old became the oldest starting quarterback to win a game in NFL history, and the third-oldest to start one. He has also thrown touchdown passes to 71 different players, a record since broken by Tom Brady. On Sunday, October 28, coach John Fox named Testaverde the starting quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts. In that game, Testaverde led the Panthers in the longest opening drive for a touchdown in franchise history, consisting of 18 plays and lasting for 11 minutes and one second. Despite winning time of possession in the first half of the game, the Panthers entered the locker room under a 3-point deficit. In the second half, Testaverde left the field with a strained Achilles tendon, and was replaced by former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr. Ultimately, the