It’s a sad day in Packerland. Brett Favre has decided to retire.
“I know I can still play, but it’s like I told my wife, I’m just tired mentally. I’m just tired,” Favre, the three-time NFL MVP, told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen in a voice mail message.
“If I felt like coming back — and Deanna [Favre, his wife] and I talked about this — the only way for me to be successful would be to win a Super Bowl. To go to the Super Bowl and lose, would almost be worse than anything else. Anything less than a Super Bowl win would be unsuccessful,” Favre said in the message.
“I know it shouldn’t feel unsuccessful, but the only way to come back and make that be the right decision would be to come back and win a Super Bowl and honestly the odds of that, they’re tough. Those are big shoes for me to fill, and I guess it was a challenge I wasn’t up for. “
As a longtime Packer fan, I’m bummed. And I’m shocked. He played some of the best ball of his career last season and the Packers looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders with him under center.
But I understand his reasoning. If he can’t accept a Super Bowl loss (or another playoff loss) next season, and a Super Bowl win is the only way he’ll feel justified in coming back, then he’s right on about the long odds. If you’re mentally drained, why put yourself through that?
On the other hand, he’s a fierce competitor, so I’m surprised that he’s hanging ’em up when the Packers are knocking on the door.
Mortensen reported that Favre, who wanted the Packers to obtain Randy Moss when he was a free agent last season, had once again pushed for Moss to join the Packers.
Favre had spoken to Moss late last week and was willing to commit to more than just this season if Moss and the Packers could come to an agreement. But the Packers did not pursue Moss, who re-signed with the Patriots on Monday.
In his voice mail message to Mortensen on Tuesday, Favre said the Packers’ lack of pursuit of Moss was not the driving reason why he retired.
Maybe it wasn’t the driving reason, but it seems clear that if the Packers had landed Moss, Favre would have committed to play another season or two. (I’m a firm believer that karma won’t allow Randy Moss to win a Super Bowl, and until I’m proven wrong, I’m not going to fret about what could have been.)
The good news for the Packers is that they have plenty of time to prepare for the season. Aaron Rodgers figures to finally get his shot, but the team may bring in a veteran as insurance. From a fantasy perspective, this is a big hit for Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Ryan Grant. They went from sure things to question marks for the 2008-09 season.
Here’s a look back at his Packer debut, a dramatic win against the Bengals:
