Latest Favre move is no surprise

Originally Published: August 3, 2008

No one should be surprised about the latest move in the Brett Favre saga, John Clayton writes.

Comment Email Print Share

By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Archive

Brett Favre was given the choice of being a franchise pitchman with a $2 million guaranteed contract or a $12 million player with no guarantees. Apparently, he's chosen the latter and plans to report to the Packers' training camp Monday.

No one should be surprised. When defenses thought Favre would throw short, he would go deep. As a player, he's a gunslinger. Gunslingers don't take safe deals when they can still shoot.

Retired Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, a gunslinger himself, doubted on Friday that Favre would take the marketing deal. "It would make him feel like he was only doing this for the money," Bradshaw said in Canton before the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. "That's not like him."

Bradshaw and other Hall of Famers sense competitive juices are flowing within Favre. They've had those juices flow for them. Bradshaw even said he thought Favre wanted to go to Minnesota just to get back at the Packers. The Vikings open the season against Green Bay on "Monday Night Football" on Sept. 8.

Once Favre goes on the active roster, the marketing deal with the Packers is off the table. Can a trade to the Vikings happen? You bet.

Such a trade would cost the Vikings a lot. They might have to surrender a first- or second-round choice or more. If the Packers are to remain adamant about making Favre a backup and keeping Aaron Rodgers as starter, they must either accept the distractions of keeping him or trade him.

Commissioner Roger Goodell used this past week to get the Packers and Favre to discuss their problems. Nothing was resolved, other than Favre's apparent desire to play.

Starting Monday with Favre's expected arrival at Packers training camp, the game will escalate.

John Clayton, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame writers' wing, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.