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A pair of NFL sources confirmed late Wednesday night that the Green Bay Packers had traded the legendary quarterback to the Jets after spending all day going back-and-forth with both the Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on compensation for the future Hall of Famer signal-caller. FoxSports.com first reported the deal was done.
The team released a statement at 11:26 p.m., saying the club had “reached an agreement” to trade Favre to the Jets and that the terms “are not available at this time.”
In a joint statement, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy and general manager Ted Thompson said, “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. 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.
“We respect Brett’s decision that he could no longer remain here as a Packer. But there were certain things we were not willing to do because they were not in the best interest of the team. We were not going to release him nor trade him to a team within the division. When Brett ultimately decided that he still wanted to play football, but not in Green Bay, we told him that we would work to find the best solution for all parties involved. We wish Brett and his family well.
“We appreciate the tremendous passion shown by our fans. We, like them, always will see Brett Favre as a Green Bay Packer and our respect for him never will change. Moving forward, we are dedicated to delivering a successful 2008 season for all Packers fans.”
Murphy, Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy will hold a press conference today. A time had not been set as of Wednesday night.
Thompson did not return a message left on his cell-phone voicemail at 11 p.m., but the sources said the deal was finalized shortly after the Packers’ nighttime practice ended around 9 p.m.
According to a report on SI.com earlier in the night, the Jets were offering a solid third-round draft choice that could rise to a first-round pick based on the team’s and Favre’s performance, while ESPN.com reported Jets’ offer was a fourth-round that could become a second-round pick. The Buccaneers’ offer was thought to be significantly less appealing.
As a result, Favre is headed to the team that almost picked him in 1991.
Before that draft, then-Jets personnel director Ron Wolf wanted to use the team’s first draft pick, No. 34 overall, on a young, wild quarterback from Southern Mississippi — Favre. Wolf was even willing to swing a trade with the Arizona (then Phoenix) Cardinals to move up two spots to get Favre, the top player on the Jets’ board.
But the trade didn’t happen, and the Atlanta Falcons, picking at No. 33, took Favre first, forcing Wolf and the Jets to settle for Louisville’s Browning Nagle, a disappointment.
Wolf then sent a first-round pick to Atlanta in 1992 for Favre only a scant few months after taking over as the Packers’ GM.
The rest, as they say, was history — Favre led the once-dominant, then-dormant small-town franchise back to prominence by taking the Packers to the Super Bowl XXXI title while winning an unprecendented (and still unmatched) three NFL MVP awards in 1995, ’96 and ’97.
And now, what had been a 16-year match made in football heaven — before turning ugly over Favre’s unretirement — was over.
Favre, 38, announced his retirement at a tearful March 6 after having a renaissance season in 2007, completing a career-best 66.5 percent of his regular-season passes for 4,155 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 95.7 passer rating (his best since 1995) while leading the team with the youngest opening-day roster in the NFL to the NFC Championship Game, where the Packers lost in overtime to eventual the Super Bowl XLII-champion New York Giants.
Once it became clear in the aftermath of Favre’s June 20 call to coach Mike McCarthy
Favre had been reluctant to talk to the Jets or Buccaneers early in the process, but finally relented after his lengthy heart-to-heart talk with Packers coach Mike McCarthy on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
After that, Favre talked with Jets head coach Eric Mangini and others in the organization for the first time on Tuesday, as they tried to convince him of a good fit. While the Jets play in tough AFC East with the New England Patriots and were 4-12 last season, they were 10-6 in 2006 and reached the playoffs in their first season under Mangini.
Mangini had held off on announcing his starter for the Jets’ preseason opener against Cleveland — Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens had topped the depth chart — because the deal was close with Favre.
By sending Favre to the Jets, the Packers accomplished their goal of trading Favre not only outside their own division, the NFC North, but out of their conference to a team they won’t play in 2008. The Packers play at Tampa Bay on Sept. 28.
Favre leaves Green Bay as the NFL’s all-time leader in virtually every significant career passing category — touchdowns (442), yards (61,655), completions (5,377) and attempts (8,758) — and has started a record 275 straight games (including playoffs). By playing 16 seasons in a Packers uniform (1992 through 2007), he matched Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr (1956 through ’71) for the longest tenure in team history.
