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SOME PACKERS EXPECT TO GET “OUR QUARTERBACK” BACK
Posted by Mike Florio on July 8, 2008, 2:04 p.m. EDT
With reports of Brett Favre planning to send a letter within the next week or so seeking to be placed on the Packers’ active roster, there has been much discussion and speculation about whether Favre wants to play for the team he has quarterbacked since 1992, and vice-versa.
One factor that has been omitted is whether Favre’s teammates would welcome him back.
Based on information we’ve picked up via our network of sources, the answer is a resounding “hell yes.”
Players already are referring privately to the notion of getting “our quarterback” back. There’s also a feeling within the locker room that the Packers can’t trade or release Favre without subjecting G.M. Ted Thompson to genuine concerns that he would be the target of some type of physical retaliation from one or more fans.
We’re also told that the players have yet to warm up to Aaron Rodgers, the man who is slated to become the next starting quarterback in Green Bay, if Favre stays retired or if he goes elsewhere.
Rodgers has been generally indifferent regarding his relationships with teammates. Also, there’s a belief among some of the players that Rodgers’ “get on board or shut up” remarks from last week to Sports Illustrated, which comments were obscured by the news of Favre’s possible return, reflect that Rodgers doesn’t understand the unique relationship between Packers players and the citizens of Green Bay.
So if Favre returns to the Packers, what will happen with Rodgers? He is signed through 2009 at manageable salaries of $680,000 and $800,000 over the next two seasons, respectively, under a contract that includes escalators based on playing time.
Our guess is that he’ll demand a trade. Possible suitors (as we see it) would include the Buccaneers, the Seahawks, the 49ers (who considered taking him instead of Alex Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005), and any of the three NFC North rivals whose depth charts at the position would be upgraded instantly with the arrival of Rodgers.
Posted by Mike Florio on July 8, 2008, 2:04 p.m. EDT
With reports of Brett Favre planning to send a letter within the next week or so seeking to be placed on the Packers’ active roster, there has been much discussion and speculation about whether Favre wants to play for the team he has quarterbacked since 1992, and vice-versa.
One factor that has been omitted is whether Favre’s teammates would welcome him back.
Based on information we’ve picked up via our network of sources, the answer is a resounding “hell yes.”
Players already are referring privately to the notion of getting “our quarterback” back. There’s also a feeling within the locker room that the Packers can’t trade or release Favre without subjecting G.M. Ted Thompson to genuine concerns that he would be the target of some type of physical retaliation from one or more fans.
We’re also told that the players have yet to warm up to Aaron Rodgers, the man who is slated to become the next starting quarterback in Green Bay, if Favre stays retired or if he goes elsewhere.
Rodgers has been generally indifferent regarding his relationships with teammates. Also, there’s a belief among some of the players that Rodgers’ “get on board or shut up” remarks from last week to Sports Illustrated, which comments were obscured by the news of Favre’s possible return, reflect that Rodgers doesn’t understand the unique relationship between Packers players and the citizens of Green Bay.
So if Favre returns to the Packers, what will happen with Rodgers? He is signed through 2009 at manageable salaries of $680,000 and $800,000 over the next two seasons, respectively, under a contract that includes escalators based on playing time.
Our guess is that he’ll demand a trade. Possible suitors (as we see it) would include the Buccaneers, the Seahawks, the 49ers (who considered taking him instead of Alex Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005), and any of the three NFC North rivals whose depth charts at the position would be upgraded instantly with the arrival of Rodgers.
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