When future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre first retired in 2007 after 16 years of playing for the Green Bay Packers, many thought he was doing the right thing. He was 37 years old and during his career he did more for his team and for the Green Bay organization than most players could ever dream of. He was a player who always seemed to put his team first, despite his many individual achievements.
During his career with Green Bay, Favre helped lead the Packers to 7 division titles, 2 NFC championships, and won a Super Bowl. He also won the Most Valuable Player award three seasons in a row. Statistically, Favre has set so many milestones that most quarterbacks entering the league will do just fine for half their success. Favre has thrown 464 career touchdown passes, passed for 65,127 yards, completed 5,720 passes, has 9,280 career pass attempts, made 291 consecutive starts and led his team to 169 wins, all NFL records by a Quarterback.
Favre always seemed to be a kid in the candy store while he was on the football field. He turned negative plays into positive ones all the time. He made so many game-winning comebacks that little kids watching at home knew their dreams of leading their favorite team to a Super Bowl victory with 20 seconds left could come true with hard work and determination. He gave hope to so many people, whether through football or one of his various charities.
When he retired for the first time it was the end of another great legacy. Toward the end of his stint in Green Bay, he realized he was no longer the franchise player, when the Packers selected Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Knowing that his time there seemed limited, Favre remained himself even with the fact that at any moment he could be pulled out for Rodgers to take over. Through it all, he kept his head up and finished two more seasons before announcing his retirement.
At the end of the 2007 season in front of the media and his Green Bay teammates, Favre said goodbye to the game he loved and cherished. From his emotional goodbye, it seemed like it was all over, with many fans hoping to see him in the booth as the announcer for Sunday or Monday night football games. However, with his endless give-and-take attitude, he decided he might still have some gas in the tank and accepted the NY Jets’ offer to come out of retirement and take over as the starting quarterback. When he arrived at Jets camp, he was reminded of the good old days when Broadway Joe Namath ran the Jets’ offense, except the Favre-led Jets didn’t do so well, missing the playoffs and finishing the season 9-7. After a grueling season in which he injured his shoulder, Favre announced his “official” retirement for the second time in two years. And while it was sad to see him go, it was time, the game seemed to move at a faster pace than he could.
After months of denying speculation that he might return again, he did the unimaginable as the 2009 season was about to begin by announcing that he would once again come out of retirement to take over as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback. Now it seemed that Favre was no longer looking for what was best for his team but for himself. He was an aging quarterback with a torn shoulder who didn’t know when to turn it off. It seems that Favre became a victim of the same thing that many others like him have “The Limelight”. It’s hard enough being the average Joe who walks away from sports as you get older. He now imagines being the face of an NFL franchise constantly in the media, he is always being asked to do commercials and make public appearances. Doing nothing but sitting at home fishing and maybe making a couple of appearances here and there must not have seemed satisfying enough.
For most of us, being able to retire at the age of 39 with more money than you could imagine would be great, but for a superstar it’s not so easy. While there have only been a few legendary players who have left in their prime, such as the great Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns and Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions. Most pro players just don’t know when to call it quits even though they have nothing left to prove. For example, Jerry Rice, probably the best wide receiver to ever play the game, played well past his prime trying to prove that he could still do it. Even in other sports, players have a hard time getting out of the spotlight, like Michael Jordan, the greatest to ever play on an NBA court.
Whereas we as fans say that they should know when to drop it. We are the ones who make true legends want to give it their all regardless of age or the state of their body. It seems that when they retire they feel like they are letting us fans down, acknowledging that we have supported them through the ups and downs of their careers. So while we can sit here and try to justify why Favre should stay retired, you need to think about all the game-winning plays he’s made, how much he’s contributed to the sport, and not just focus on the Viking 2-year $25-a-year contract. million dollars, after all, who would say no to that.
The only question that remains is whether Favre’s decision to continue playing will tarnish his status as one of the all-time greats. There will always be a debate about who is the greatest quarterback of all time. The generation in which you grew up often dictates your beliefs. Even though the current NFL quarterbacks seem to be breaking all the old records. My grandfather still insists to this day that Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr are the two best to ever play this game. My dad’s choices are Joe Namath, Warren Moon and Dan Marino. I’d have to say my best quarterbacks of all time would have to be Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and Favre. But my favorite quarterback is Donovan McNabb and that’s because I’m an Eagles fan.