Green Bay has traded superstar quaterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets. This is a move that is undoubtedly going to enrage a lot of Packers fans. Aaron Rodgers will now be the starting QB for the Packers as originally planned before Favre changed his mind about retiring.
The move ends a remarkably ugly split between Green Bay and one of its most beloved players, allows the Packers to move forward with new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and gives Favre a fresh start - although not exactly the one he wanted, as Favre's first choice was widely believed to be the Minnesota Vikings.
Favre was scheduled to leave Hattiesburg, Miss., Thursday morning and the Jets said he would be at a 6 p.m. EDT news conference in Cleveland, where New York plays the Browns in a preseason game later Thursday.
According to NFL.com, the Packers will receive a fourth-round draft pick in 2009. The selection would turn into a third-rounder if Favre plays in 50 percent of the plays this season, a second-rounder if he plays in 70 percent and the Jets make the playoffs, or a first-round pick if he plays in 80 percent and the Jets make it to the Super Bowl.
"I am looking forward to seeing Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform," said Jets chairman and CEO Woody Johnson in a statement issued early Thursday. "He represents a significant addition to this franchise, and reflects our commitment to putting the best possible team on the field."
Brett Favre's destination of choice was apparently Minnesota so even he didn't get exactly what he wanted. The people happiest with this decision are likely New York Jets fans which is good for them since they usually don't have much to be happy about. The people at Snapper mowers are probably very happy as well since Snapper is a product that Favre is a spokesperson for as you can see by the photograph in this post.
The Associated Press Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner explains the dispute between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Wilner thinks the standoff won't have a pleasant ending unless one side backs down. Unfortunately, it isn't clear that either side is going to backs down.
38-year-old Brett Favre retired from the Green Bay Packers earlier this year but it seems Favre is having second thoughts. Unfortunately for Packer fans those thoughts appear to have him possibly returning for a didfferent team. The Huffington Postreports that Favre has asked the Packers to release him so he can return to playing football for a different NFL team.
Favre asked the Packers to release him so he can return to the NFL with another team after apparently being told his latest retirement reversal wasn't welcome news in Green Bay. The team said it would do "what's right" in response to Favre's request, which was first reported by ESPN on Friday.
"Brett earned and exercised the right to retire on his terms," the team's statement said.
"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."
This is likely to disappoint many Green Bay Packer fans who see Favre as their quarterback. The latest news is that the Packers won't agree to release Favre.