Reliving the Brett Favre Saga

On August 18, 2009, Brett Favre signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings, confirming that he would once again be coming out of retirement to play yet another year in the NFL.

Although he is unequivocally one of the best quarterbacks of all time, Favre’s legacy will likely not be dominated by his many records and on-field achievements; rather, the memories will be tainted by his antics between seasons. To the NFL, Favre has degenerated into an attention seeking, egocentric personality, who appears only to be happy when all eyes are on him. Let’s take a quick look at Favre’s retirement history:

2005-2006

It all began four years ago: following a disappointing 2005 season with the Green Bay Packers, on January 30, 2006, Favre told ESPN, “"If I had to pick right now and make a decision, I'd say I'm not coming back."

In an abrupt turnaround, on April 25, 2006, he announced that he would be returning for another year while intoning that the 2006 season would likely be it. But on May 6, 2006, he announced in a press conference that he had not ruled out the possibility of returning past the season.

2006-2007

The 2006 year was another disappointment, and on December 31, 2006, following their last match, Favre was non-committal in a TV interview. "If today's my last game," he said, "I want to remember it. It's tough. It's tough. I'll miss these guys, I'll miss this game."

It did not take long for Favre to quickly take that one back – on February 2, 2007, he formally announced that he would be returning yet again.

2007-2008

Favre led the Packers to an NFC title season and a 13-3 record, showing that he still had some good football left in him.

On March 4, 2008, Favre held an emotionally charged, tear-filled news conference in which he finally formally retired from the NFL, saying that he didn’t have “anything left to give.”

Only four months later, in July, it was reported that Favre is revisiting the idea of returning to the Packers. In a July 14, 2008, interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, Favre said he was "guilty of retiring early," that he was "never fully committed" to retirement, and that he was pressured by the Packers to make a decision. Unfortunately for him, the Packers were ready to move on and pass the title of starting quarterback to first round draft pick, Aaron Rodgers.

2008-2009

After reporting to training camp, The Green Bay Packers met with Favre and both sides agreed that he would not return to the team. This led to a trade on August 7, 2008 that handed Favre to the New York Jets.

On February 11, 2009, Favre informed the Jets that he would be retiring after 18 seasons, this time calling it “the real deal.” And in an interview on ESPN on February 13, he stated that “there’s no way” he would return for another year. Two months later, when the Jets granted him an unconditional release from the team, Favre reiterated that he has “no intention of returning to football.”

2009

In June, rumours surfaced of Favre having discussions with the Minnesota Vikings about a possible return. He verified this information in an interview on HBO on June 15.

Thankfully Favre ended the speculation quickly, and on July 28, 2009, he told the team that he would not be returning, in what was “the hardest decision” he ever made.

Then, in what came as a surprise to everyone, on August 18, 2009 Brett Favre signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings, officially agreeing to come out of retirement once again, and play at least one more year.