By PFW Staff
March 4, 2008

It had to happen some time, right? With 17 illustrious NFL seasons under his belt, Packers QB Brett Favre, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer if there ever was one, has decided to retire.

The NFL’s all-time leader in completions, attempts, passing yards, TD passes and consecutive starts by a quarterback reportedly broke the news to Packers head coach Mike McCarthy Monday evening. According to Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, there were no immediate plans for Favre to hold a news conference.

After one of his best seasons ever, one in which he guided the Packers on a storybook ride to the NFC title game, it was widely assumed that Favre would return for at least one more season. But with the days and weeks pushing on since the end of the season, long-time Favre observers began to wonder about Favre’s intentions.

With Favre riding off into the Mississippi sunset, the Packers will turn to former first-round pick Aaron Rodgers, who remains a relatively unproven commodity, to take the reins under center.  

The PFW spin

It’s too early to know just why Favre decided to call it quits. Suffice it to say, there were numerous factors that came into play. Both McCarthy and Packers GM Ted Thompson told PFW at the NFL Scouting Combine that the future Hall of Famer had expressed just how difficult a time he was having weighing the pros and cons of continuing his career.

It has been widely speculated that, as was the case last offfseason at this time, Favre was pushing the Packers’ organization to go after Randy Moss, and indicating that if Green Bay did indeed sign the elite receiver who excelled in New England last season, Favre just might be convinced to stick around for a couple more seasons. Moss re-signed with the Patriots Monday evening.

One has to wonder just how much Moss really might have been a factor in Favre’s decision, though, since the Packers had arguably the deepest and most talented WR corps in the league for much of the 2007 campaign.

In any event, the ball is now in Rodgers’ court, and if his splendid effort in relief of an injured Favre in the Week 13 game in Dallas is any indication, he appears more than up to the task.

That said, Favre’s exit suddenly makes the NFC North a lot more difficult to predict, with the Vikings, most notably, appearing to close the gap on the division champs with the offseason moves they've made so far.