Brett Favre – The man who won’t go away

Brett Favre apparently isn’t going to quit until everyone resents him. The rumor is that he is considering yet another return after an announced retirement, and that particular mill has him going to the Minnesota Vikings (+1000 to win the NFC at BetOnline), where he was expected to go last season, until the trade to the Jets (+1800 to win the AFC at BetOnline). Favre asked the Jets to officially give him a release (and got it), which is what allows him to sign with someone if he makes the decision to come back. Opinions in the media are somewhat divided as to whether he will go through with it. Gary Myers, the "insider" who writes for the New York Daily News, pointed out that the Jets refused at first to release him, "just in case," but Favre pushed the issue more after the Jets made the deal to move up in the draft and select Mark Sanchez.

Myers contends that Favre would not be so adamant about obtaining his freedom (from the remaining two years of his contract) if he were not serious about keeping options open. Furthermore, Myers’ sources tell him that he wants to go to Minnesota if for no other reason than to stick it to the Green Bay Packers (+1400 to win the NFC at BetOnline), who are in the same division. He is angry at the Green Bay franchise for making the choice to take a step toward the future with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. And looking inside his mind, that is understandable since he considered Rodgers, a first-round Packer draft pick, to be something of an intrusion and had no interest whatsoever in mentoring him. Could the nature of the situation have been any different with Mark Sanchez in a Jet uniform?

Would anyone dispute that Green Bay made the wise move last year? Likewise, would anybody argue that keeping Favre for another year would be more advantageous for the Jets than getting started with a QB who they moved way up in the first round to grab?

Hey, it’s not as if the Jets ultimately were going to find it in their best interests to keep him anyway. He was going to be too expensive for them under the salary cap, and if they wanted to trade him, he would have to be activated which could cause all kinds of havoc in light of the money needed to sign Sanchez, who incidentally impressed everyone at the mini-camp. The Jets, Myers reports, would have to give Green Bay two first-round draft picks if they activated him, then traded him to Minnesota.

So Favre once again leaves something of a bitter taste in an organization’s mouth. Mike Tennenbaum, the Jets’ general manager, didn’t want any part of another drama. Favre threw as many interceptions as touchdown passes last year and just isn’t worth it when you look at the big picture.

But he might be well worth the Vikings’ while to pursue, simply because they don’t have anyone better already manning the position. I like Sage Rosnefels, and I have mentioned it on these pages before, but the possibility exists that he is not any more than a backup. The same may go for Tarvaris Jackson, and whether John David Booty could ever develop enough to even stick with an NFL roster is debatable. The window of opportunity with a relatively fresh Adrian Peterson in the backfield and that big offensive line won’t stay open for very long, and as they say, when you have three quarterbacks, that means you have no quarterbacks.

There is nothing written in stone that says Viking coach Brad Childress has to keep his job forever, and I would think it would be in his own best interests to address the quarterback situation in Minneapolis, which has held the progress of this team back. If management feels the acquisition of Rosenfels sufficiently addresses this problem, that’s one thing. But that deal was done before anyone knew Favre might actually be available. As mistake-prone as Favre can be, he is a multiple MVP who has been named to the Pro Bowl the last two years. He has demonstrated his worthiness as a leader in the huddle, which can’t be said of the incumbents. If he’s an upgrade at that spot, the Vikes can’t ignore it and neither can we.

Favre has lost a lot of his goodwill, and some zip on his arm. He threw away some games last year but he still has his moments, and in a division like the NFC North, which is there for the taking, it could make sense for Childress to take Favre out for a ride. This team has an imposing running game but also an obvious hole behind center, and since they just drafted Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin in the first round, they’re going to need someone who can get him the ball.