Posted on 05/04/2009 3:06:23 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Brett Favre eventually will go back to Green Bay, make peace with the organization that humiliated him when it didn't want him back last summer and traded him to the Jets, and retire as a Packer. But he didn't need the Jets to release him last week from the last two years of his contract for that to happen.
So, let's connect the dots and see where they lead:
• Favre retired in February, but the Jets refused his request to release him, wanting to keep his rights in the event he changed his mind and wanted to play again - he is prone to flip-flop, of course - and Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff stunk up their new $75 million practice facility in the offseason.
• The Jets traded up to get Mark Sanchez in the draft last weekend and the text-messaging between GM Mike Tannenbaum and Favre intensified. Favre still wanted to completely cut his contractual ties with the Jets. Three days later, the Jets released him. Sources say Favre, who will be 40 in October, wants to keep his options open. Favre released a statement saying, "At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football."
The three key words: "At this time."
• The Vikings are a quarterback short of being a Super Bowl contender, and they need to sell tickets and have been trying for years to get a new stadium.
If Favre was planning to stay retired, why would he even request the Jets cut him? The dots? They lead right to Minnesota, exactly where Favre wanted to be traded last year. The Vikes have Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson, meaning Favre can step in and try to write a better ending to his career after he ran out of gas with the Jets and stick it to the Packers at the same time.
One NFL source insists Favre can't peacefully retire until he finds a way to get revenge on the Packers. He wants back into the NFC North so he can face the Packers twice. The Bears traded for Jay Cutler and the Lions drafted Matthew Stafford. Hello, Minnesota.
"Favre can't stand Green Bay," the source said. "He wants to play Green Bay and say, 'I told you so.' His bitterness is creating this. I think he's calling Minnesota. I think Minnesota is talking about this as we speak. You haven't heard the end of Favre. No way. He is bionic. As long as somebody will let him in, he will play."
The Jets did Favre a huge favor by cutting him now. They were under no obligation to let him go. But Favre actually had the Jets in a vulnerable position and ultimately they would have no choice but to cut him if he came out of retirement:
• The Jets are $12 million under the salary cap. Favre's base salary for 2009 is $13 million. If Favre told the Jets tomorrow he was coming back, they would be given three days by the NFL to activate him. To activate him, they would have to get under the cap. To trade him, he would have to be activated. They are going to need a chunk of that $12 million cap number to sign Sanchez. They could no longer afford Favre. The math didn't work.
• When the Jets traded for Favre last August, the Packers smartly put in a poison pill that made it impossible for the Jets to turn around and trade Favre to the Vikings, Bears or Lions. If they traded him to an NFC North team last year, they would have had to give the Packers three first-round draft choices. If they did it this year, they would have had to give the Packers two first-round picks.
The Jets are convinced the Vikings are the only team Favre wants. If they felt they could trade him anywhere else, they might have considered retaining his rights. Ultimately, they saw no reason to hold onto Favre when they couldn't get anything for him in a trade. The only way this backfires is if Tom Brady is not ready for the start of the season and Favre signs with the Patriots. By the Jets releasing him, the real loser is Green Bay if Favre goes to Minnesota and plays well. The Packers did not call the Jets to complain after they released Favre.
• Once the Jets drafted Sanchez, he became the face of the franchise and the Jets no longer wanted Favre back even if he wanted back. Favre was not a willing tutor to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. There's no reason to believe he would have embraced Sanchez. And the Jets wanted no part of the soap opera Favre put the Packers through last summer. The Jets rented Favre for one year at a cost of a third-round pick. It almost paid off. If they the Jets were not able to get Sanchez, they would not have cut Favre last week.
Favre has used the last four months to let his torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm heal up. The time off has also let him recharge his competitive spirit. Training camps don't open until about Aug. 1. He reportedly hired a personal trainer. The web site Pro Football Talk reported last week there was a flight that left Minneapolis for Hattiesburg, Miss., on Wednesday morning and returned later in the day. The trip supposedly was made the day after the Jets released Favre. Was the Vikings' hierarchy aboard?
Before long, Favre will be throwing to the high school kids in Hattiesburg. And then you can figure he will start leaking word around mid-June he's got the itch to play again.
Just go away.....
Excuse me, I gotta go puke.
Good God Brett, give it up!
Don’t go out a winner like Michael Jordan did, Brett. Hang on for years and become pathetic.
I am from Minnesota and a big football fan but I remain ambivalent about getting Brett Farve.
I’m right here in Titletown. If Favre goes to the Vikes, we’ll need riot cops.
I am a lifelong Vikings fan but can not stand the head coach, Chilly. I am not sure that Favre would be the answer for the Vikings with him at the helm. He is a control freak and doesn’t like to let the QB audibilize or freelance. I do not think that Chilly would be comfortable with Favre’s style. I like Favre but think it is time for him to hang it up and go into the Hall of Fame.
In the real world (not show biz), it doesn't work that way, Brett.
Show some respect for us regular folks who pay waaaaay too much to watch you pad your ego.
He will be good for the first half of theseason, and then by the end of the year you will see how old he looks. Also, I do not think he could play half a season on artificial turf. His body would not hold up.
The Paris Hilton of the NFL stikes again.
I don’t see why the Vikes would take him. Everybody knows his shoulder needs surgery, everybody knows he didn’t get the surgery, and everybody knows he was horrible at the end of the season after the injury. If the Vikes are dumb enough to take a guy with a screwed up shoulder they’re going to get what they deserve (say hello to 3-13).
he is such a woman.
ah crap. If Bret goes to Minnesota then that means I’ll have to be a Vikings fan.
He’s gonna be a category on Jeopardy at this rate.
I’d rather see Jeff George or Joe Kapp.
Go Vikes!
‘Don’t go out a winner like Michael Jordan did, Brett. Hang on for years and become pathetic.’
Jordan finished his career with the Washington Wizards. He hardly went out a winner.
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