The Brett Favre soap opera took another twist when the NFL reinstated the former retired quarterback and ESPN's Wendi Nix reported that head coach Mike McCarthy will hold an open competition for the quarterback position of the Green Bay Packers.
Is this a ploy to buy more time to move the veteran quarterback or have the Packers seen enough of Aaron Rodgers in training camp to make them realize they would be much better off with Brett Favre as their quarterback and maybe Brian Brohm is the quarterback of the future. What happens if Aaron Rodgers wins the job? Will Favre be a backup? Will they eventually trade the future hall of famer? Will he retire again and accept the marketing deal on the table? You can bet this story is not over anytime soon.
Team president Mark Murphy released the following statement; "Sixteen years after Brett Favre came to the Packers, he is returning for a seventeenth season," said Murphy. "He has had a great career with our organization and although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back. We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage."
The saga began on March 3rd, 2008 when Favre announced his retirement from the NFL in a tearful press conference. The Packers management reportedly tried to convince Favre to return to the Packers but were rebuffed on several occasions. Favre has stated that he didn't want to leave the Packers hanging if he decided to retire before training camp and that they rushed him to make a decision.
Favre had one of his best years in 2007, leading the Packers to a 13-3 regular season record and the NFC Championship game where he threw a key interception in overtime allowing the New York Giants to kick the winning field goal and advance to the Super Bowl. Favre took this play and the loss very hard and was clearly burnt out. At 38 years old, he was not sure if his body could take another year of what is required to play in the NFL.
Green Bay did what any team would do, they moved on. Aaron Rodgers has been the backup in waiting and was about to get his chance to become a starting quarterback in the NFL and the replacement of the legendary quarterback. The Packers also drafted Brian Brohm in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Things started to change when Favre was said to have an itch to play again. While many football experts had predicted this was bound to happen, it kind of threw the Packers in a tough situation. Do you bring back a guy who means so much to the Packers franchise or do you move forward with the future?
There have been rumors that Favre was in discussions with the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay filed tampering chargers which the NFL has not ruled on as of this time, but it is believed that Roger Goodell will not find the Vikings guilty of anything. Favre has admitted talking to Vikings head coach Brad Childress but also has talked to other NFL coaches and general managers, such as Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren, all NFL people who Favre trusts and went to for advice.
When Favre asked Green Bay for his unconditional release, the Packers fought back. There was no way they were going to let Favre go to Minnesota or Chicago where they had to face them twice in a season. It was a PR nightmare waiting to happen.
There were discussions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets but the talks never developed because Favre would not speak directly to the teams and it is believed the Packers were seeking a first round draft pick.
There were rallies for Favre and the fans in Green Bay were split. Some calling for Ted Thompson's head and others telling Favre it's time to move on.
Brett Favre finally submitted his reinstatement papers with the league office and Roger Goodell got involved when Favre said he would report to Green Bay training camp.
According to Favre, the Packers were committed to Aaron Rodgers, would not let Favre compete for the job but told him he could come back as the backup, something they knew Brett would never accept. Favre told Greta Van Susteren in an interview with Fox News, that he was upset that the Packers wanted to move on but would not give Favre his release so he can sign with any team he wanted to. "You're telling me playing there is not an option, but playing elsewhere, we just can't -- we're trying to protect your legacy," Favre said. "Well, thank you. I appreciate that. But apparently now, they're trying to protect my legacy by bringing me back and having me be a backup. Boy, that is really good."
The Packers and Favre came to a mutual agreement that he would not report to camp for a few days while they tried to work out a deal for Favre. There were also reports of a marketing deal offered to Favre for $25 million dollars which would have kept Favre retired and paid him for the next 10 years, while also eliminating the circus like atmosphere that was certainly not going away anytime soon.
Favre began his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 before playing 16 seasons in Green Bay which includes a Super Bowl title, 9 Pro Bowls, 442 touchdowns, 61,655 passing yards and an overall quarterback rating of 85.7.
What happens next is anyone's guess. Make sure you tune in tomorrow to the Green Bay Packers version of Days of our Lives.
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