Or will he do what this author suggests. I DO NOT agree with him. You know who needs him? Green Bay!



Brett Favre plays his final game of the season at Lambeau Field on Thursday when the Packers face the Minnesota Vikings. If the Packers are smart about the future, it will be Favre’s last home appearance in a Green Bay uniform.

This has nothing to do with whether Favre, 37, should retire. That’s his call. Judging by his buoyant comments at a news conference in Green Bay on Tuesday, Favre may be itching to come back.

But he shouldn’t come back to the Packers, even though he remains as much an icon in Titletown as Vince Lombardi or Curly Lambeau, the former coaches whose statues stand at the main entrance to Lambeau Field. For the good of the franchise, Packers general manager Ted Thompson needs to make the tough decision to trade Favre, who signed a “lifetime” contract in 2001 and is reportedly due an $11 million salary next season.


Why? Because the 6-8 Packers are young, Favre isn’t getting any younger, and the Louisiana gunslinger may be done when the Packers need him to be great.

Thursday night will be Favre’s 256th consecutive start, including playoffs, the longest streak of any active player. He has endured more bumps, bruises and joint pain than, arguably, anyone else who ever played the position. Eventually, all the physical stress from playing all-out wears a body out. Just ask Larry Bird, who never took a hit in an NBA game as hard as Favre does on a typical Sunday but limped into retirement at age 35.

This season Favre has thrown more touchdowns (17) than interceptions (15), a reversal from last year, when his career-worst 29 picks led the NFL. (He also topped the league in completions and attempts, a byproduct of the 4-12 Pack playing too often from behind.) Already the Packers have won two more games than last year, even with an offensive line that at times started three rookies.

But Favre’s completion percentage of 56.8 is lower than in any full season as a Packer, and Green Bay has already been shut out twice. Until this year, the Packers never failed to score in a game Favre started. Green Bay beat the Lions and the 49ers the past two weeks after losing four of five, a stretch that included a 38-10 blowout by the Jets at Lambeau in which the inept Pack trailed 31-0 at half and drew New York-quality boos. Eight of Favre’s interceptions have come in his past four games, with only four touchdowns.

The week before the Jets game, veteran long snapper Rob Davis said the Packers aren’t as far from playoff contention as some people might think. Given the mediocrity of the NFC, he may be right. And that’s the biggest reason for sending Favre on his way.