Players Favre a Dying Breed

Posted on NewSportsWriters.com On 1/31/06

With the recent news of Bret Favre leaning towards retirement as opposed to playing another season in Green Bay, you can’t help but wonder how him leaving the game will impact the league. In his 15 seasons in the NFL, the last 14 with the Packers, Favre has always been a team first guy and has played every down as if it were his last. He’ll leave the game second in all major passing categories (yards, attempts, completions, TD passes), third in career wins as a starter, fourth in starts, and first in every category in the Packers’ storied history. But as Favre has always stated and I truly believe, it’s not about the records for him. He needs to feel that him coming back for another season will first and foremost benefit the Green Bay Packers. And at this point he’s finding it more and more difficult to find that answer.

In a league now full of the “me first” athlete and free agency running rampant, players of Favre’s ilk are a dying breed. It’s never been about the money with Brett, but as an elite quarterback in the NFL when is it ever. He’s never held out for more money, missed a start and his 14 seasons with the same organization more than displays his stance on loyalty. A loyalty not only displayed by him as a player, but also by the Green Packers as an organization.