Tag: Brett Favre retirement (Page 7 of 10)

What a surprise – it turns out that Brett Favre could still be Minnesota bound.

According to a report by ESPN.com, the Vikings are apparently evaluating X-rays that Favre had taken on his injured throwing arm to determine whether or not to pursue signing him..

A source close to the situation told ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap on Friday that X-rays of Favre’s right shoulder — he has pain resulting from a torn biceps tendon — have been sent to the Vikings and that the X-rays are in the process of being evaluated. If it is determined by Favre’s and the Vikings’ medical people that he needs anything less than “major” surgery on his shoulder, Favre will un-retire to play for the Vikings, the source said.

If “major” surgery is necessary, Favre will remain retired, the source said.

The news comes on the day after Yahoo! Sports reported that the 39-year-old Favre told Vikings coach Brad Childress he would remain retired.

Bus Cook, Favre’s agent, told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on Friday that he did not know of any X-rays being sent to Minnesota.

Why would Yahoo! Sports report that Favre told the Vikings he’s planning on staying retired, only to have ESPN come out the next day and say that the Vikings are basing their decision on whether or not to sign him on his X-rays? Something doesn’t add up here.

Either way, as I wrote yesterday when the Yahoo! Sports report broke, until I don’t see Favre’s frumpy ass in purple and white by kickoff of Week 1, I’m going to assume that he’ll be a Viking in 2009.

Even though the Jets have moved on from the 2008 experiment with Brett Favre, his ex-teammates still can’t help but to lob a few grenades in his direction while he flirts (flirted?) with the idea of joining the Vikings.

To a man, the Jets said they weren’t surprised by the latest on Favre, and many wished him well, but there were traces of bitterness. After all, he quit after only one season with the Jets, claiming he was finished with football. Now there’s talk of him playing for the Vikings.

The media-friendly Kerry Rhodes refused to discuss Favre, saying, “I don’t want to get into it.” Jerricho Cotchery said, “Before he came to us, the whole thing was he wanted to go to Minnesota. You kind of feel bad if you were the team he settled for.”

Another player, who requested anonymity, launched this salvo at the future Hall of Famer: “I’m tired of being part of his soap opera. If he really wanted to win a championship, he’d be right here. Let’s call it for what it is: He wants to play for Minnesota so he can stick it to Green Bay twice a year. He’s just being selfish. I’m not surprised.”

Late Thursday, Yahoo! Sports reported that Favre had informed the Vikings that he’s going to stay retired, although nothing official came from Favre – his agent told ESPN that Favre is retired but left the door open for a change of heart.

I wasn’t around the situation to know for sure, but it seemed like Brett never embraced the Jets. Granted, maybe he never embraced the Jets because he felt as though they didn’t embrace him, but you got the sense that the Big Apple was just going to be a brief stint for him, which it inevitably turned out to be.

I don’t blame Jets players for questioning Favre’s motives to play last year and his possible motivations for continuing to play. Does he really want to help a team win a Super Bowl or is he only continuing to play to fulfill some self-serving prophecy? Did he really want to help the Jets win last year or did he just want to prove to Ted Thompson and the Packers that he could still play?

It seems that if he is going to come back, he’ll only do so if it’s the absolute best situation for Brett. I don’t know whether or not to applaud him for being smart (after all, what player in their right mind would want to join a situation where they might not succeed?) or join the unnamed Jets’ player and call him selfish.

According to a report by Yahoo! Sports, Brett Favre has turned down the Vikings’ attempts to sign him and will now stay retired.

In a phone call that took place sometime in the last day, the source said Favre told Vikings coach Brad Childress that he wanted to remain retired. Favre is expected to publicly explain his decision soon.

Favre, who announced his first retirement in March 2008 after spending 16 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, decided to resume his career last summer and was traded to the New York Jets in August. After one season in New York, Favre retired again and was subsequently released by the Jets on April 29.

Just days after his release from the Jets, speculation began that the Vikings were interested in bringing in a veteran to compete with Sage Rosenfels(notes), who was acquired this offseason from the Houston Texans. Rosenfels is atop the depth chart heading into training camp, with Tarvaris Jackson and John David Booty(notes) also on the roster.

The moment the Vikings step onto the field in Week 1 of the new season and I don’t see a No. 4 jersey with Favre on the back, then I’ll believe Brett isn’t coming back. For now, I’m just going to assume that he’s upset that Childress has asked him to show up to minicamp and he’s going to bide his time until most of the padded workouts are complete.

I’m not going to believe anything until it comes out of Brett Favre’s mouth. And even then I’m going to question the hell out of what he says.