Seven years after his departure from Green Bay, it seems that the time has finally come for Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers to bury the proverbial hatchet. It was announced last week that Favre’s legendary number four will officially be retired on Thanksgiving night.
The end of Favre’s time in Green Bay was rough to say the least. Seasons of asking “will he or won’t he?” led to his eventual retirement in March of 2008. The months leading to the start of the next season were a mess. Favre didn’t want to play. Then he wanted to play, but the Packers had already moved on. The Packers wanted Favre to stay retired, but Favre wanted to play, even if it wasn’t for Green Bay. The fiasco ended with Favre being traded to the New York Jets for one season. He retired one last time in 2011 after playing two more seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s understandable why it took over four years for Green Bay and Brett Favre to get to this point. On Green Bay’s side, what could they have done when Favre retired in 2008? They had future two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers waiting on deck. Another season with Favre would have escalated tensions between the organization and Rodgers and could have resulted in Rodgers wanting out of his contract. The team had already moved on.
But Favre’s side was just as justifiable. He had been their quarterback since 1992. He won them a Super Bowl, got them to another, and broke all kinds of passing records in the process. It’s rare for teams to owe players much of anything, but there was an argument to be made that the Packers owed Favre at least a chance to come back. There’s also the fact that the team made it to the NFC Championship the season prior, losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
Time may not have done away with all the bad blood between the team and the quarterback, but this gesture will hopefully be a step in the right direction. Green Bay is an unusual town in professional sports. The football team is the town. They idolize their team’s heroes. Yes, Favre’s final three seasons were spent elsewhere. His time with the rival Vikings was especially rough for Packers fans, but with the retirement of his number, maybe both Favre and the Packers will be able to appreciate just how great the good ol’ days were.