After 22 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 10 fumbles, and one frustrating season spent away from the playoffs, Brett Favre has informed ESPN that he will retire. He asked his agent to inform the Jets, who already appeared to be moving on under new coach Rex Ryan.
Favre’s agent admits he did float the possibility of the Jets trading Favre to the Vikings so he could play another season, but the Jets, surely amused, respectfully declined. So now, even if Favre tried another of his patented “well, if the game wants me back, I guess I just CAN’T retire!” moves, he wouldn’t be able to play again. Brett Favre is now really retired.
Clearly, a year too late. Favre could have gone out as the heroic Packer, bringing his team to the cusp of the Super Bowl before settling down to a lifetime of endorsement deals and commemorative coins. His last year, as a Jet, was a disappointment from every perspective. So much so, in fact, that the team fired its coach and is now completely starting over. The one-year rental was as damaging to the Jets as it was to Favre’s reputation.
Favre will always be a legend in Green Bay, and media folk will always swoon in his presence. Expect to see him as the 45th person on NBC’s studio team at some point in the next twelve months. Now he can go back to being a Packer-for-life, and the Jets can go back to doing what they do best: rebuilding. Thanks for coming by, Brett. It was kind of fun while it lasted, but we can’t say you’ll be terribly missed.
