Brett Favre's Return to Lambeau Field Put on Hold, Iconic No. 4 Won't Be Retired This Year
BySeveral years after Brett Favre's retirement, there has been plenty of speculation that the Green Bay Packers will retire his no. 4 jersey, but such a ceremony will not take place this season.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Mark Murphy, the Packers' president and CEO, told reporters Thursday the team has maintained "good conversations" with Favre. He also said a jersey retiring ceremony was not on the Packers' agenda for the upcoming season.
Murphy indicated the team is concerned about how the Lambeau faithful would receive Favre, who ended his career playing for the division rival Minnesota Vikings.
"He wouldn't want to come back to be booed," Murphy told reporters.
Favre played 16 season with the Packers and produced far more memorable moments, like the Super Bowl win, his three NFL MVP awards, several record-breaking performances and back-to-back NFC titles.
However, he first announced his retirement after the 2007 season, prompting the team to hand the starting QB job to Aaron Rodgers, a first round draft pick who more than bided his time behind Favre. When Favre un-retired the Packers were willing to welcome him back, but as Rodgers' back-up. Favre then went on to play one season for the New York Jets and then two seasons with the Vikings before finally calling it a career for good.
Favre will be eligible for the Football Hall of Fame in two years and he will more than likely be voted in immediately.
The Packers and Favre seemed destined for some type of public event to signify the end of a healing process, one that has been expedited by Rodgers. Since Favre's retirement, Rodgers has led the team to a Super Bowl win and won the NFL MVP.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy told USA Today his QB is coming back strong for a broken collarbone that sidelined Rodgers for several games last season.
"I think Aaron's had probably his best spring, if I'm going to sit back and try to rank them," McCarthy said. "I'll probably say the same thing next year. But I think he's in great shape. We changed a lot of things to make things easier for some of the other players, the newer players coming in on offense, and I don't think people realize when you're in Year 10, particularly Year 9 of an offense, the biggest change was for Aaron.
"But it was the best thing for the group, so he had a little more studying to do this year than in prior years. I think he's handled that very well."