Brett Favre is back. It remains to be seen whether he’ll once again be the leader of the Pack.
The Green Bay Packers reluctantly embraced Favre’s forced return to the football field Sunday, after failing to come to a financial agreement that would manage to make Favre happy while staying retired.
The NFL announced Sunday that Favre will be reinstated and added to the Packers’ active roster Monday. Commissioner Roger Goodell had held off on granting Favre’s request for reinstatement for nearly a week, hoping Favre and the team could resolve their standoff.
Sources told ESPN’s Wendi Nix that coach Mike McCarthy will announce Monday he’s holding an open competition between Favre and Aaron Rodgers for the starting quarterback position.
Without offering details, team president and CEO Mark Murphy said Sunday that the team will reveal its plans for Favre on Monday.
“Although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back,” Murphy said in a statement released by the team. “We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage.”
A private plane carrying Favre, wife Deanna and agent James “Bus” Cook arrived in Green Bay at 8:04 ET Sunday night. Favre exited the plane and waved to a crowd of several hundred fans gathered at the airport — in a severe lightning storm, no less — before driving off in an SUV.
His reinstatement will become effective at 1 p.m. ET Monday, when Favre will be added to the Packers’ active roster. By reinstating Favre, Goodell is following through on a recent promise to force action.
“My intentions have always been to play for Green Bay. Why wouldn’t I want to play in Green Bay?” Favre said Saturday, according to the Sun Herald of Gulfport, Miss. “They have as good a chance to win the Super Bowl as anyone.”
Earlier this week, the team offered Favre a long-term, multimillion-dollar marketing agreement that likely would have kept him retired. But Favre’s decision to report to camp makes such an agreement less likely.
A trade remains a possibility.
“Frankly, Brett’s change of mind put us in a very difficult spot,” Murphy said. “We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett’s decision last March to retire.
“As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That’s why this wasn’t easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it’s very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction — but we’ll put this to our advantage.”
Could reorienting their plans include a competition for the starting job? Team officials have maintained that if Favre returned to the Packers, it would be in some role other than as the starter — and have said Rodgers is their starter.
Rodgers had a rough night in the Packers’ annual “Family Night” scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Sunday night, as a few boos were mixed in with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd of 56,600 when he was introduced.
Rodgers hit his first pass of the night to Donald Driver, and drew a pass interference penalty on a deep pass to Driver on the next play. He then missed on his next six attempts, including several balls that seemed to bounce off receivers’ hands.
After he threw another three incompletions to begin a simulated two-minute drill, Rodgers appeared to be heating up until he threw an interception in the end zone to safety Aaron Rouse.
The Packers do not have another scheduled public practice until Tuesday afternoon. Favre might not begin practicing with the rest of the team right away.
Favre retired in March but has been having second thoughts. Team officials have insisted they are moving on with Rodgers, though, causing tensions to rise between Favre and the team.
Team officials publicly have ruled out releasing Favre, fearing he would immediately sign with division rival Minnesota.
McCarthy has said the Packers had a plan in place should Favre report to camp. He first would have to pass a physical exam and a conditioning test, then would likely be limited to individual drills.
Goodell told the NFL Network on Saturday he thinks the situation has lingered long enough.
“I think we have to force it,” Goodell said. “I think it’s come to the point where there need to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of all the fans.”
Credit: ESPN
