Three weeks after announcing that he wouldn’t come out of his second retirement in as many years to play with the Minnesota Vikings, Brett Favre now has football fans doing a double-take.
Favre’s surprise appearance at the Vikings practice on Tuesday and the team’s announcement that he had changed his mind to join after negotiations ended in July is the latest twist in what can only be described as sports’ biggest rollercoaster ride of the past two years.
Favre ended one of football’s greatest quarterbacking careers with his highly emotional retirement from the Green Bay Packers in 2008—one that left many cheese heads reeling.
He had carried Green Bay to seven division titles, four NFC Championship games, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl victory in his glittering 17-season tenure in Wisconsin.
“I know I can still play,” he told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen about the retirement from the Packers. “But it's like I told my wife, I'm just tired mentally. I'm just tired.”
But a few months later with the start of the 2008-09 season, Favre apparently had newfound strength and decided to make a comeback with Green Bay. It was a bittersweet move though. His loyalty with the Packers didn’t get him far, and Green Bay put Aaron Rodgers in the driver’s seat. After a brief meeting in Green Bay, Favre and the Packers decided it was time to part ways, and Favre was picked by the New York Jets.
On to the Jets
After a strong start with the Jets, Favre fizzled out at the end of the year with a weakened shoulder. He still earned a 10th career Pro Bowl selection with a pass completion rate of 65.7 percent, 3,472 yards, and 22 touchdowns. But he announced his second retirement.Now, after shocking forever-beloved Packers fans earlier this year with talk of joining Green Bay’s nemesis the Vikings, only to say ‘no just kidding, I’m going to stay retired,’ Favre has made heads spin once again in announcing that he will play for the Vikings.
"I am excited about the opportunity to join this football team," Favre—who probably has the best in-depth knowledge of the Viking’s offense of any QB—told the team's Web site www.vikings.com.
"From ownership, to coaching, to the players, it is evident that everyone in the Vikings organization is committed to bringing the fans of Minnesota a championship. I am eager to join my new teammates and get to work towards that goal.”
Perhaps it was a drive to capture one last Super Bowl and end his glorious career with a bang. Perhaps it was just plain old indecision, coupled with a healing shoulder that might allow him to get back to where he was at the start of last season with the Jets.
Regardless of what Favre’s motives to come back to pro football are, the question that now remains is: does the 39-year-old three-time MVP still have the throwing arm to give the Vikings a shot at the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory?
The Vikings have a solid team and have just as good a shot as any team in the NFC North. Now with Favre, they might have what they’ve been waiting for—a seasoned QB capable of commanding the offense.
But if Favre doesn’t pull it off with the Vikings and capture that elusive second Super Bowl ring, he can probably still retire rest-assured that his many records—including most wins by a quarterback (169), most career touchdown passes (464), and most yards gained passing (65,127)—will remain intact for at least a few more years to come.
