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The Packers took care of that Friday by placing him on the reserve/retired list so they could have another roster spot with which to sign a rookie free agent after the NFL draft this weekend. It was mostly a matter of procedure and the Packers could have done it as soon as Favre announced his decision to retire March 4.
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In this photo provided by CBS, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, left, talks to host David Letterman about football and his retirement from the game during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman, in New York, Thursday, April 24, 2008. (AP Photo/CBS, J.P. Filo) **MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE; NORTH AMERICAN USE ONLY** |
Up until now, the Packers haven’t needed Favre’s roster spot or his salary cap money (they were roughly $21 million beneath it), but with rosters currently limited to 80 players with none of the previous exemptions from NFL Europa, the club needs some roster space. In addition to placing Favre on the retired list, it cut offensive linemen Tony Palmer, Chris Patrick and Cliff Washburn.
The Packers officially have 68 players on their roster.
“Today’s moves are procedural in nature,” general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement. “Both Mike McCarthy and I have spoken to Brett over the past several days. Brett knew this change in his roster status was coming, and he fully understood our need to make the move in advance of the NFL draft.
“The NFL does not require a letter for a player to be placed in a reserve/retired status.”
The only reason for Favre to sign his retirement papers is so that he can receive his severance pay from the NFL. It could be years before he files them.
Still, there could be something symbolic to Favre’s decision not to file them. In a series of interviews this week to promote a popular video game, Favre continues to question whether he made the right decision.
On “Late Night” with David Letterman on Thursday, Favre said he expected the fever to play again would hit around training camp. In an interview with ESPN on Friday, he declared himself retired but said he continued to wonder whether he did the right thing.
“I second-guess the decision every day,” Favre said in the ESPN interview. “I second-guessed my decision last year (to come back). With everything from a team standpoint and the way I played in my favor, why wouldn’t you come back? So I thought about those things, still do. Wonder whether — knowing that I can still play — did I make the right decision?
“It was the decision that I had to make at that time and I have to live with.”
Favre said he didn’t intend to create a firestorm when he told friend and reporter Al Jones that if Aaron Rodgers got hurt he would consider coming back. But he didn’t deny that’s how he felt.
“Yes, I did say that,” Favre said.“But it was in a conversation, like, ‘You know, if something were to happen to Aaron, it would be tempting, if they called, to come back.’ But I was being honest. It would be.”
Also on Friday, Favre was named the Pro Football Writers of America’s “Good Guy” Award winner. The honor goes “to the player who best helped the media do its job,” according to the group.
No deal: As of Friday night, the Packers weren’t expecting to sign free-agent quarterback Daunte Culpepper this weekend.
According to a league source, Culpepper has drawn interest from Buffalo and his previous team, Oakland, and is weighing his future. The Packers appear set on what they’re going to offer and are waiting to see what Culpepper wants to do.
Chances are the Packers will draft a quarterback this weekend, but depending on who they get they still might want a veteran behind Rodgers.
Moving on: Palmer’s release ends a six-month period in which the Packers waited to see how a small-bone fracture in his neck healed.
Thompson did not comment on Palmer, but the player’s release was the result of a failed physical, which means the team’s doctors determined it didn’t want to risk putting Palmer on the field again. As recently as last month, McCarthy said the club was awaiting test results to determine Palmer’s fate.
Palmer was claimed off waivers from Atlanta at the end of training camp in 2006 and played in two games last year. He was injured against the New York Giants early in the season.
Patrick and Washburn were both practice-squad players last year.
Strong interest: One player the Packers have shown a lot of interest in of late is running back Allen Ervin of tiny Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn. The 5-foot-11, 228-pound running back and kick returner has also garnered interest from Indianapolis, New England, Baltimore and Detroit.
Ervin led the NAIA with 1,787 all-purpose yards in his first year as a full-time starter, gaining 1,033 rushing yards and scoring 14 touchdowns on offense.
He is expected to be a second-day pick.
