I don't agree with "the team has moved on" argument. It's been a month or two and a few OTA's and the Packers have somehow forgotten Brett Favre and fully integrated Aaron Rodgers?
If Favre wants to come back, I say let him. So, he thought he was done. I'm sure the disappointment of coming up one game short had nothing to do with that. Now that he's had time to cool off, he wants to come back(allegedly). Can he be blamed? He just put up the best season of his career! The NFC doesn't have a powerhouse team and the Packers have just as good a shot this year as last.
In the short term, it might piss of Aaron Rodgers but who really cares? The Packers don't owe him anything and Favre gives them a much better chance to win in 2008. Just restructure his deal a little so it doesn't look like they're catering to him and everyone will forget about the aborted retirement.
Favre has proven he can still win in this league. My guess though is Packer GM Ted Thompson is asking if he feels Favre is still good enough to win a Super Bowl? If the answer is no, then he might be thinking it’s time to find out if Rodgers is good enough, and if he isn’t, see if Brian Brohm is in a couple of years. For as well as Favre has played, the 2 tendencies that have emerged over the last few years if you look at his stats is his level of play wasn’t as high as the season wore on, and he has played poorly in cold weather games where he used to dominate. If he wears down as the season goes on or can’t win anymore in cold weather in January, Thompson might be thinking Favre won’t be able to get them to a Super Bowl anymore.
Thompson has also stated in the past regarding other positions, that he doesn’t want an older player taking a spot from a talented young player who needs the reps to develop his talent.
I can’t speak for Thompson and don’t know what his reasons are because he is pretty tight lipped about everything, but there has definitely been a vibe the last couple of years that Thompson isn’t as high on Favre. Only he knows why though.
After the Packers went 13-3, both the GM Thompson and coach McCarthy got contract extensions. So they are probably secure even with a bad year or two. If Rodgers wins 6 games and turns out to be a bust, Thompson just drafted Brian Brohm who isn’t ready now but would have a chance in a year or two. So Thompson has a chance with 2 Qbs he drafted to replace Favre before his contract expires. If either QB wins before his contract is up, Thompson’s tenure goes on. If both QBs bomb, then Thompson will probably be gone in a couple of years.
Maybe the Packers will bring back Favre if he decides to play again. Without Favre, Thompson is taking a big risk because Rodgers hasn’t proved himself or his durability up to now, and because his backups are 2 rookies who aren’t ready to play yet. It seems pretty risky if Rodgers gets hurt or falters to not have a veteran QB on a team that‘s pretty solid everywhere else. So maybe they would bring back Favre to protect themselves. But the last couple of seasons you just got the sense that Thompson would like to move on without Favre, though he would never publicly say it.
