F-A-V-R-E, Favre! Favre! Favre!

It happened after all. After denials during the past 10 days, the Green Bay Packers managed to trade Brett Favre today to the New York Jets. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved (except Jets QB Chad Pennington, who was cut today).

The Packers were anxious to move on to the Aaron Rodgers era. The team believes that they have gotten all they can get out of Favre.

The Jets improve themselves at the quarterback position. QB Kellen Clemens can learn for a year or so from a Hall of Fame quarterback before becoming the starter once again. Plus, the Jets improve from a bad team to at least a mediocre team instantly. And, they’ll get the back page of the New York papers tomorrow.

Favre just can’t walk away from the game. He now gets to play for a team that he can help. He also gets to keep playing for as long as his mind and body can hold up, or for as long as the Jets will have him.

Good move by the Jets.

He Just Doesn't Want To Let Go

What is going on in the swamps of Mississippi? Or, for that matter, the not-frozen-tundra-at-this-time-of-year in Wisconsin?

The Green Bay Packers are offering Brett Favre $20 million to stay retired as a Packer. Favre just can’t stay away from the game. He has decided he wants to play another year, and says that he was rushed into a decision when he retired back in March.

To add insult to injury, Favre reportedly wants to be traded within the NFC North, to either the Vikings or the Bears. The Packers appear to be granting his wishes. Favre, for his part, refused to speak to the Buccaneers and the Jets. Brett Favre in a Minnesota or Chicago uniform would be like Jim Brown playing for Pittsburgh. Or, like Troy Aikman playing for the New York Giants.

Competition is addictive, especially when you have been great as long and as recently as Favre. However, $20 million is nothing to sneeze at, even for someone who is already set for life.

The Packers are probably correct in trying to begin the Aaron Rodgers era. They are taking the position that last year’s season was an aberration, and that Favre just doesn’t have much left in the tank. They have also avoided a public relations hit, by leaking Favre’s interest to play in Minnesota or Chicago. I have to admit, though, that Favre would instantly improve the Vikings or Bears. In turn, that would severely hurt the Packers and make the NFC North wide open.

All of this probably means that Detroit will probably win the division, win three playoff games, and win the Super Bowl. Just kidding on that one.

It's Really True

From the Yesterday’s News Department:

Brett Favre really is retiring. After flirting with retirement the last two years, and a premature posting last week on the Packers’ website, QB Brett Favre is retiring from professional football.

Brett Favre has been pure greatness. He has started every game for the Packers since the first Bush administration. He led them to a Super Bowl championship in 1996, and made many mediocre Green Bay teams good, if not great. Favre was a gunslinger of the highest order, a feast-or-famine quarterback that played with pain and led his team to exciting victories. In the infrequent case that he didn’t lead his team to victory, he often threw multiple interceptions in a frantic effort to bring his team back. Even when he wasn’t on his game, he always tried to play like he was 100%, and made most games interesting. I'd take him on my team. Of course, Tony Romo is quarterback of my team, and he's a Brett Favre starter kit.

The rumors behind this retirement are interesting. There is a story floating around stating that Favre wanted the Packers to sign Randy Moss this year. The Pack chose not to go after Moss, allowing the Patriots to re-sign him. Favre was not happy with the decision by the Green Bay front office, and chose to retire. I will not be surprised to see Favre show up in another NFL city as a quarterback. That would be too bad, as he is first and foremost a Packer.

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers gets to follow a legend. Good luck with all that.