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Favre traded to Jets

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By The Associated Press

Thursday, Aug 07, 2008 - 09:58:06 am CDT



GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have reached an agreement to trade quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets, the team announced late Wednesday night. Terms of the trade weren’t immediately available.

The Packers had been talking with the Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers since deciding earlier this week that the team and the three-time MVP couldn’t co-exist. The Packers decided to move forward with Aaron Rodgers as their starter after Favre announced his retirement in March.

“Brett has had a long and storied career in Green Bay, and the Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything he accomplished on the field and for the impact he made in the state,” Green Bay officials said in a statement.

“It is with some sadness that we make this announcement, but also with the desire for certainty that will allow us to move the team and organization forward in the most positive way possible.”

Jets chairman and CEO Woody Johnson issued a statement early today.

“I am looking forward to seeing Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform,” Johnson said. “He represents a significant addition to this franchise, and reflects our commitment to putting the best possible product on the field. Mike Tannenbaum and his football administration staff did a great job of navigating this complex process. I am excited about welcoming Brett, Deanna and their family to the Jets organization.”

The agreement was first reported by Fox Sports on its Web site.

Favre left Green Bay on Wednesday, boarding a private plane that left for Hattiesburg, Miss. at 12:25 p.m. CDT with Deanna and agent James “Bus” Cook. Favre’s family home is near Hattiesburg.

In Mississippi, Favre confirmed that he was considering the Jets and Buccaneers.

“We’re working on it,” Favre told Jackson TV station WJTV. “Hopefully, we can get something resolved. I’ve been saying that for quite a while now. I don’t want to say we’re running out of time, but I need to get into a camp somewhere.”

With the Jets, Favre will be running the offense that will be partially coached by former Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, who was hired earlier this year to be the Jets’ assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

The last time the two were together on a football field was in December 2003 when Favre threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns in a legendary Monday night victory against the Oakland Raiders just one day after his father, Irv, died of a heart attack.

Less than a week later, Callahan was fired as the Raiders’ head coach and soon thereafter was hired as Nebraska’s head coach.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke to Favre again Tuesday night, but there was no indication that their conversation did anything to change the fractured relationship between Favre and the franchise.

“It was just very general,” McCarthy said of the conversation with Favre, who was excused from practice Wednesday. “Just how he was doing, where he was with the process, things like that.”

McCarthy said he was happy the rest of his players were getting a chance to move forward.

“We talked about it last night,” McCarthy said. “The players want resolution, they want what everybody wants. To come out here every day and talk about somebody that is not here and then shows up, it’s gone on too long, and understandably so. They want to play football.”

Packers players vented frustration over the Favre situation Tuesday, after fans chanting “Bring Back Brett!” turned practice into a zoolike atmosphere and reporters continued asking questions about Favre instead of football.

After McCarthy made it clear Tuesday that Favre’s football future wouldn’t be in Green Bay, players seemed to have some sense of closure.

“It was just important to get things moving,” Packers tackle Mark Tauscher said. “Obviously, there’s no closure as of yet, but I think we’ve kind of been told what’s going on and I think we all kind of know where everything stands.”

Packers cornerback Charles Woodson — who said Tuesday that the saga had “gone on long enough” — said Wednesday that the Packers’ front office gave players the answers they needed.

“From what I understand, for the most part it’s taken care of,” Woodson said. “Now it’s just about the Packers and not about the situation. It’s over now. From what I understand, it’s pretty much over.”

 


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Billy Green Bay says wrote on August 7, 2008 6:33 am:
" ....no loyalty to Brett. Can't believe they let him go..... "

 connie wrote on August 7, 2008 7:00 am:
" This is a significant loss for the Packer community. I'm disappointed that their management perhaps let their own ego(s) get in the way. Favre is a phenomenal athlete whose love of the game always shines through. I hope Green Bay can weather this decision. Best wishes to Brett and Deanna. "

 GasMiser wrote on August 7, 2008 7:06 am:
" Good luck to you Brett. I used to think that you were just a regular "Joe" in a football uniform. Now I know you are just like the rest. Apparently you think very highly of yourself. Willing to disrupt the team that made you a legend. Willing to tarnish your legacy. Willing to create hard feelings among your fans. Just so you can play ball again. Some things are more important.

So good luck. I for one, will be watching from a distance, and shaking my head over another player who ultimately believed the hype about themselves. "

 Jim wrote on August 7, 2008 7:52 am:
" Two words: Who cares? I used to like Farve but apparently he is so in love with himself, he can't stay retired and has to be in the spotlight. "

 CS wrote on August 7, 2008 8:03 am:
" No loyalty? The guy retires every year then comes back. Ultimately football is a business in its current incarnation and both were playing the game. Farve used up the last of his goodwill juice from past performances and the team had already decided to move on. Good luck to both. "

 Larry wrote on August 7, 2008 8:05 am:
" Enough already! Who cares???? He's another overpaid spoiled brat that thinks the world revolves around him and his Game. "

 Barry Walker wrote on August 7, 2008 9:10 am:
" I agree with Gas Miser and Jim. Farve handled this poorley and should've just retired. He is going to stink with the Jets. He could've went out on a high note and now look where he's at. The Jets will not win a championship with him in place, they probably won't even make it to the AFC Championship game. Also why is it that every time they mention Brett, they have to mention his wife Deanna. NO ONE CARES ABOUT HER! "

 Kevin wrote on August 7, 2008 9:41 am:
" This was a bad decision on both sides. Farve had a legacy that has been tainted. Green Bay should have kept Farve on the roster, allowed him a lackluster year, and then allowed him to head into his second retirement. "

 Nic F wrote on August 7, 2008 10:22 am:
" It'd be hilarious if the Jets are actually somehow "good" next year. No one thought the Giants would be a contender at the beginning of last year :-) "

 Dumb wrote on August 7, 2008 11:45 am:
" You could have gone out and been seen as a legend Brett. Now you will look like nothing but a schmuck. Way to think things through. "

 Not a Mind Reader wrote on August 7, 2008 12:05 pm:
" How do you Brett bashers know he was motivated by a need for attention? Maybe the guy loves his job. It is certainly understandable that at the end of a long season where he has gotten hit by 300 pound animals on nearly every play that retirement might look good, but when the season comes around, he's rejuvenated and ready to go again. If he can still do it at his age, then more power to him.

While I wish Aaron Rogers no ill will, I do question what will happen to the Pack if he goes down at some point in the season. Would they not be wishing at that point they had a reliable backup sitting on the bench? Not many QBs have the durability of Favre. "

 Kendra wrote on August 7, 2008 12:23 pm:
" I am very sad to see bret leaving the greenbay packers but I am also kind of excited to see what he will do on another team... If they will play him or have him as a bench warmer. I can still remember when I read in the paper how Brett broke his own team mates finger... So yeah... I am excited but also super let down... "

 Anya wrote on August 7, 2008 12:31 pm:
" It is not true that no one cares about Deanna. ALOT of ppl care about Deanna.
As for Brett, I think he should have stayed retired or not retired at all. It's just like television where no one stays dead anymore. "

 tom issaquah wrote on August 7, 2008 12:33 pm:
" Are you kidding me. Brett Farve is a great player perhaps one of the best but he is the "past" not the future of the Packers or any other team. He is too old and prone to injury. After all the hoopla about his retirement, which causes the good leaders of any organization to move on, he changes his mind wants to come back for maybe a year or too. Self-serving at best and not concerned in the least about the team or the fans well being. A tarnished legacy at best. Really a shame. "

 From Green Bay wrote on August 8, 2008 8:30 am:
" I'm a season ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers. Not the Green Bay Favre team. Favre is just one of many players on the field. It's sad that he couldn't just stay retired and leave an amazing legacy. I'm not sure what he has left to prove and why he would want to tarnish his reputation - but that's his problem. Packers assumed Brett was retired and had to come up with a long-term plan of action - who can blame them? "

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