Can the Packers manage a roster spot?
Forget the record books he left in tatters. Let's look at this from a right-now standpoint.
The Packers, fresh off an NFC championship game appearance, aren't welcoming back the quarterback that got them there? For what? So Aaron Rodgers can get the squeak out of his shoes? Even if the guy has a bright future, it's going to take time.The Packers are equipped to win now.
Because Brett Favre made a decision to retire before recovering from the mental strain of the season the Packers don't want to bring back a quarterback fully capable of winning them a Super Bowl in 2009?
After the heat he took for not making the retirement decisions earlier in previous offseasons, he probably felt rushed into this one.
True, Aaron Rodgers will be a free agent after this season. But had he not showed out for a few quarters against the Cowboys in November - his only meaningful playing time in three NFL seasons - what would we know about him? How much did those 206 yards on 18 of 26 passing really tell us? It's one game. Judge Favre on his NFC championship game performance and you wouldn't have imagined he led the league's second-ranked passing offense with 4,155 yards and 28 TD's. Rodgers might have a good year leading the Packers in 2008-09 but would you choose him over Favre?
He might be Alex Smith, too.
Who can blame Favre for reportedly requesting his release from the Packers so he can talk to other teams? He's probably so livid with the franchise he poured his guts out for, he's shopping himself out of pure spite. I understand the Packers are sick of the retirement saga every offseason, but I think Favre legitimately did his best by the team in each instance. It's not an easy decision when you can still play, which he clearly can. In case the Packers haven't noticed, elite quarterbacks are harder and harder to find. Look at the No. 1 pick the year Rodgers was drafted. Think the 49ers would have Favre next season?
I'm not worried about the Hall-of-Fame, face-of-the-NFL, most-popular-player-in-decades stuff. From a football standpoint, why hand the keys to Rodgers when a capable veteran who has been there still wants to play for you? This is what the Packers had to say in a statement:
"Brett earned and exercised the right to retire on his terms. We wanted him to return and welcomed him back on more than one occasion.... Brett's press conference and subsequent conversations in the following weeks illustrated his commitment to retirement. The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team."
Here's betting that without Favre the Packers find themselves taking a step back. But at least their shoes won't squeak when they do it.