Jets hope Brett makes up his mind in next 10 days
The Jets hope to hear Brett Favre’s decision on whether or not he’s returning to the team next year by the NFL scouting combine.
The Jets are in the same position the Packers were in the last several years and it’s not comfortable. They are waiting for Favre to tell them what he’s doing.
When the Jets made the trade in August, they got the entire Favre package: The leadership, the excitement, the improvisation and the interceptions. But they also acquired the aggravation of their life being put on hold as Favre takes his time deciding whether he’s going to play in 2009. The Jets need to be pro-active rather than playing nice and feeding into Favre’s diva act.
But the Jets need an answer. Freeing up Favre’s $13 million cap number would give them free-agent flexibility. Even if he plays, they still have some room to maneuver. The greater issue would be who plays quarterback? If Favre is done, the Jets can’t go into camp with Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff and pray one of them turns into Matt Cassel.
At least when Favre was doing this to the Packers the last few years they knew Aaron Rodgers was next in line. The Jets don’t have quality options. That’s why the Jets are being patient. They might feel they need him more than he needs them.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but you can’t help but get the feeling that the Jets made the wrong decision to acquire Favre last year. He made them competitive, but they still missed the playoffs and now they’re at the mercy of his pending decision. Worse yet, if he doesn’t return, they either have to hope Clemens or Ratliff emerges next year or take a shot at selecting a quarterback in a week draft class.
Maybe it would have been better if the Jets allowed Clemens to get another year under his belt instead of taking a shot on Favre.
Fair warning. I’m a Packer fan and Favre is my favorite all time football player. I’m not saying he’s the best – just that he’s my favorite.
That said – it’s obvious that the Jets didn’t quite have the firepower to make the whole run last year, and Favre is out of gas. They should not have taken him last year, and they should cut him now. He wasn’t and isn’t the answer they need.
Saying that hurts more than I can tell you. If his ego could handle it, I think Favre would be the very best backup QB in the NFL, but it’s pretty clear that he can’t be the bull goose anymore.
My only concern with Favre is that he somehow lands in Minnesota. The Jets supposedly can’t trade him to the Vikings unless they want to give up 2-3 first round draft picks, but if NY cuts him, he might be able to sign with Minny. If he retires, he’d still be under contract with the Jets, but if he tried to come back it could be a similar situation as last year. He could put the Jets in a bad position and they’d end up cutting him, making him a free agent.
Minny would be a legit contender if they had a good QB.
But if you were the Jets . . . what would you do? With all the trash that flew around late in the season, I’d be hard pressed to take him back.
As a Packer fan . . .
I say, the stiffer the competition, the greater the glory. Let Favre land where he lands. Personally, after watching him late last year, I think his arm is shot. He is not the threat he was in 2007 or even Nov 2008.
He should have the surgery he needs, take the time to rehab it right, and pull a Testaverde.
To just throw a wild ass opinion out there.