Green Bay Packers Should Have Honored Brett Favre Sooner

By Phil Naegely | Jul 21, 2015

Over the weekend the Green Bay Packers honored QB Brett Favre by putting them into their team’s hall of fame as well as retiring No. 4. Rightfully so, Farve was honored for all he did for the Packers during his successful career, however this moment should have come sooner for the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

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While not explicitly stated by the club, one of the main reasons didn’t honor Favre sooner was due to the fact that he played for their arch-rivals in the Minnesota Vikings. His move to change his mind and unretire didn’t hurt Packers faithful, but playing for a divisional rival did the fans in.

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After this decision, the love for Favre went away and many considered him a traitor. His first season with the Vikings in 2009 saw Favre average 262.6 yards/game (third best in career), 33 touchdowns (tied for fourth best), seven interceptions (career season low as starter), and an astonishing quarterback rating of 107.2 (career best).

Favre showed he could still play competitively in 2009, but 2010 was a different story as he threw only 11 touchdowns and was intercepted 19 times. His QBR was a dismal 69.9, which was his worst rating as a starting NFL quarterback. He tried to press his luck and stuck around one too many seasons based solely on the stats.

Part of the reason Packers fans hated him for going to the Vikings was because he would face them at least twice a year. They knew just how dangerous he was as they watched Favre dominate and put on a show game after game at Lambeau Field. In fact, Favre and the Vikings beat the Packers both times in 2009 as he threw for a combined seven touch downs and 315 yards. Favre’s quarterback ratings in those games were 135.3 and 128.6, respectively.

When Favre went into the sunset after the 2010 NFL season, the Packers should have retired his jersey and selected him for the team’s Hall of Fame during the 2011 season. Instead, they waited too long to honor the best quarterback to play home games at Lambaeu. Despite what he did for a rival, Favre’s legacy is still remembered in Green Bay. Fans still flock to his restaurant that he owns. Furthermore, Aaron Rodgers’ success in town has continued on the success of the passing game.

Yet, the Packers did a disservice to Favre by waiting seven years since he left town as their quarterback to retire his number and make him a member of the team’s Hall of Fame. No matter what feelings were hurt by Favre flip flopping about retirement and deciding to play for a rival, Favre still holds multiple NFL and Packers records, including being the all-time Packers leader for passing yards, pass completions, passing TDs, pass attempts, and interceptions.

The 11-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXXI champion deserved to have this moment sooner. Yet, mixed emotions caused the Packers to be slow to make the right choice of inducting Favre into the Hall of Fame and retiring his number. It was the right thing to do, but came four years too late. Nonetheless, Favre was able to bring back his favorite NFL and Packers memories during the Hall of Fame induction weekend.

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