Who Else Was Favre Interested In?
By Aaron Nagler on Jul 22, 2009 with 21 Comments
I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about the inevitable announcement that is sure to come sometime within the next 10 days (and no, this is not my official ‘Favre Is A Viking’ post – still working on it) and been perusing much of what I’ve written over the course of the last year or so on the subject, along with several of the first reports about Favre possibly coming out of retirement, the grandaddy of which has to be this piece from Sam Farmer of the LA Times.
At the time, Farmer was vilified by fans (and some media members on an off-the-record basis) for what they saw as an obvious fabrication. Well, time has proven kind to Farmer, so much so that I find myself echoing Steve over at PackerGeeks and thinking that Farmer is owed some kind of apology by the rabid anti-Thompson crowd who refused to believe that Favre would ever, EVER consider playing for another team, never mind so closely after his retirement.
One thing from that report that I think has gotten lost in the shuffle over the course of Favre’s unretirement, trade to the Jets, retirement, release from the Jets and now imminent signing with the Vikings, is the following:
Favre’s agent has quietly inquired with teams about their interest in trading for the three-time NFL most valuable player.
Emphasis all mine.
Who else did Cook contact? I checked with Farmer and though he couldn’t say which ones, he confirmed that Cook did in fact contact more than one team. Which teams, I wonder? You have to think he talked to the Bears, a team that until this summer had been in a perpetual state of quarterback need, a team that would play the Packers twice a year and a team that was not far removed from a Super Bowl appearance.
It’s all conjecture, of course, but think about the fact that the player that once was poised to stand as the face of the franchise alongside Vince Lombardi for all eternity most likely took it upon himself to call the Packers’ two hated rivals.
All in his quest to ‘stick it to Ted’.
Filed Under: Bears Suck • Brett Favre • National Media • Vikings Suck
I’ve been saying ever since the Cutler trade that Bus Cook (who is agent for both) threatened to bring Favre-apalooza down on the Bears. It makes a ton of sense for Angelo to avoid the whole ugly Favre situation the Vikings find themselves in by overcompensating to get Cutler, who Bears fans would take in a heartbeat without another thought about BF. Angelo simply refused to be a pawn in bidding war for a one year Favre deal by making a bigger deal brokered by the NFL’s latest super-agent, Bus Cook.
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We know he talked to Millen too.
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And if you’ve listened to WFAN for the last 5 years, that guy that usually is yelling at callers had also hinted about Favre playing somewhere else since at least 2005.
I’m curious if Favre’s introductory press conference with the Vikes will feature a little nugget like this: “Green Bay fans will always be special to me, but I talked to my good friend and former backup Jim McMahon, and he assured me that switching over to a hated rival doesn’t sit well with the fans at first, but all is eventually forgiven.”
Or something such. I fully expect Favre to use some flawed analogy like his Lombardi-to-the Redskins knee-slapper or the McMahon zinger above if reporters press him on the Benedict Arnold Factor.
Supposing, of course, that he gives a damn what his fans think.
I think one other team he pursued was the Buccaneers. Even though it’s not the size of queens and bears x us, it’s still one of our biggest rivals.
Lions
“Well, time has proven kind to Farmer, so much so that I find myself echoing Steve over at PackerGeeks and thinking that Farmer is owed some kind of apology by the rabid anti-Thompson crowd who refused to believe that Favre would ever, EVER consider playing for another team, never mind so closely after his retirement.”
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I was pissed when Dale Z brought it up months back, but I definitely had reason to be. At the time it was a no-story– something that should have been reserved for the rumor mill at PFT or hashed out on a blog. Dale Z was right (and props to him) but there wasn’t anything but speculation to support it at the time. Yes, his track record before that certainly was shady, but there still wasn’t any evidence to tie him to such an accusation– maybe a framework, but nothing more. So Congradulations to everyone that said it would happen. Your hunch was correct.
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Bears and Bucs were the first teams I thought of. But from an objective standpoint, it’s certainly not all revenge on GB, though it’s obviously a deciding factor. Many greats don’t know when to say quit, simply because they love playing that much.
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Even Paul Hornug says Favre should play if he can.
http://content.usatoday.com/to.....699.blog/1
I thought one of the teams rumored last summer early on was also the Bears, who also would have been in the position of having a lot of pieces in place besides a quarterback (and receivers, of course). And, they were just two years removed from a Super Bowl.
And of course, they were in the division, too.
I’m more interested in which teams besides Minnesota are interested in him NOW. How come other QB-starved teams aren’t throwing an incentive-laden contract at him?
Better yet, why wouldn’t the Jets keep him for the last year of his contract and let Sanchez learn behind him for a year? Yes, yes, I know…new regime wants “their guys” and all that, but if it keeps your shiny new rookie QB from getting killed for a year, it would seem to be a good move. Besides, Favre is a merchandising cash cow, so it would make some kind of monetary sense to just keep the guy who’s under contract.
I would bet that nearly every team thinks Brett’s performance isn’t worth the distractions.
Who Else Was Favre Interested In?
Who cares?
No doubt BF would be a bigger ‘pain’ than he’s worth, especially for only one year followed by the ‘will I or won’t I’ version………. whatever it is now. Even though the Vikes hierarchy have been saying all the politically correct statements up to this point, a little truth serum might reveal a totally different attitude to BF’s delay tactics. –Something like WTF is he doing now?
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I always thought the five teams were the Vikings, Bears, Bucs, Redskins & finally the Ravens. It seems like I read this somewhere last year but it’s now a forgotten distant memory. Maybe it was in a dream.
“I would bet that nearly every team thinks Brett’s performance isn’t worth the distractions.”
bingo.
I can’t wait for your post-signing post. For me, I will put him in the same class as Curly Lambeau – solidly disenfranchised never to return to Green Bay. As of today though, I would rename at least one street next to Lambeau Field.
“I would bet that nearly every team thinks Brett’s performance isn’t worth the distractions.”
Yes, that’s why the street next to Lambeau Field has already been renamed to read:
“Favre’s Way (Over The Hill)”
Favre’s Press Conference Introduction?
He’s writing it now as Deanna gets out her sharpened red pencil.
Here’s an excerpt:
“I know a lot of Green Bay fans will think I’m a trader for playing with a rival. So be it. Just remember Josh Booty is a trader for taking my #4 and not letting me have it. I want Ziggy to cut him now and I want Randy Moss back here at WR.”
Aaron:
Please remember to reveal the contract details when Favre signs with MN:
$5 million base
$1 million for showing up for practice
$1 million for talking with his teammates in the locker room
$1 million for achieving a QB rating above 70 — which, of course, is his awful playoff rating since after the Super Bowl loss to Denver
$1 million for playing outdoors on 12/28 at Chicago! (Now that’s gonna be “MUST SEE TV” and I don’t even have one……True!)
” I just got the itch to play again”
” I truly enjoyed the Fans over there at Lambeau, but today is a new day”
” They made their choice now I made mine”
I really had a good time playing for the Jets and did not really consider that I would be able to have the surgery, feel this good, and then have the opportunity to take this team to the Playoffs and Beyond”
” this team has every opportunity and as much talent as any team I have every played on”
“No disrespect to any of the guys I have played with before, Ahman and Dorsey included, but Adrian Pederson is clearly the best back I have ever lined up with”
“This Viking defense reminds me of Fritz’s 96 team…without Reggie of course”
“Look, I am just one player, I am flattered in the Viking’s interest in me…lets just take this one year at a time and see where it goes”
“I think if you ask around you will see that there is nothing unusual in the way I treat my team mates or interact in the locker room, I am just a regular guy that is a bit older than the other guys…”
” I think I will get the offense pretty quickly, its pretty similiar to what I have run over the last 18 years”
” I can’t worry about what other players think about me coming in at the last minute, my job is to help this team win games, thats what Ziggy is paying me to do”
Blah Blah Blah Blah…..
” I just got the itch to play again”
See, I’ve got the scratch marks to prove it.
Look. This disease is always at its worst in July the last few years!
” this team has every opportunity and as much talent as any team I have every played on”
Besides, I get to play indoors. My hands just unthawed last week from the brutality I endured in GB at the 2007 NFC Championship Game.
“Look, I am just one player, I am flattered in the Viking’s interest in me….. thats what Ziggy is paying me to do”
Can I help it that my contract states the NEW stadium will be named after me? I made sure the new one will have a dome, too, so I don’t have to play outdoors if I’m still playing at age 44 when it’s done.
In Ray Bourque’s 21st year with the Boston Bruins, they traded him to Colorado for the last 14 games of the year. The next year, he won a Stanley Cup with the Avalance and promptly retired.
The Avalanche then retired Bourque’s number, even though he only played there for a little over a year. Do you think the Vikings would be so pathetic as to do the same thing with number 4 if they won a Super Bowl with Favre this year? They WOULD be retiring the number of the QB who won the first championship in their pathetic history, after all. I think they may be that pathetic.
Ruppert:
BUT Favre is only going to win 8 to 10 games among the 16.
That total will NOT secure the home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Imagine, then, Favre winning a road playoff game OUTDOORs at age 40.
OK, don’t. Because he’s not able to do so.
MN is NOT going to win the Super Bowl with Favre.
He’s merely helping sell season tickets and to assist public support for Ziggy’s new stadium wish.
Infact: I agree with you 100% regarding whether or not they’ll have success with Favre.
I’m just sayin’, are the Vikings pathetic enough to do that? And I think they might be…
Infact, with the wonders of modern medicine you cant rule out anything. Why do you think its taking so long for a reinstatement to the NFL? I think its because BF is on the juice. NFL doesnt test retired players do they?
Has anyone seen the news about Favre Sears commercial that makes fun of his own indecison?… see http://wcco.com/sports/brett.f.....02743.html