Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers haven’t always been friends. In fact, their relationship arguably started off as icy at best. The latter was selected 24th overall in the 2005 draft precisely to replace the former, who hitherto remained outstanding for the Packers, but who nonetheless appeared to be on the downside. Pride, not coincidentally that which fueled their competitiveness and success, got in the way of smooth interpersonal relations. “My contract doesn’t say I have to get Aaron Rodgers ready to play. Now, hopefully, he watches me and gets something from that,” the incumbent starter then defiantly told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Which, creditably, the quarterback-in-waiting did, the absence of active mentorship (and petty pranks) notwithstanding.
“I don’t think you can ever replace a legend” was the quote of a grateful Rodgers, whose draft stock inexplicably fell to a point where he remained available for the Packers to take. He didn’t care that Favre was beloved in Wisconsin, and that he would have to wait for his turn. Newly installed general manager Ted Thompson was ecstatic; reflecting the sentiments of a management group fed up with the three-time Most Valuable Player’s yearly flirtation with retirement, he looked forward to the prospect of planning offseasons effectively and without being hostage to the whims of the larger-than-life face of the franchise.
Favre, meanwhile, dug in his heels. Despite the writing on the wall, he kept chugging along, going 4-12, 8-8, and then an inspired 13-3 in the next three years. By then, however, the Packers had made up their mind, and not even a series of meetings with head coach Mike McCarthy after his usual vacillation could prevent his departure for the Jets. It was Rodgers’ time to shine, they believed. And, as things turned out, they wound up proven right, though the two players’ ties stayed fractured. As he himself noted, “I would say (we were) strong enemies. I wanted to play my tail off, and so did he, especially when we played against each other.”
These days, it would be an understatement to argue that the two are close. They communicate with each other constantly, the old wounds gone and having been replaced by stronger skin. Hindsight gives perfect perspective, with all the hardware amassed since their parting of ways lending support for the changing of the guard. The Packers have celebrated a Super Bowl win since then, and Rodgers’ efforts have been rewarded with two MVP trophies. And through it all, Favre has been generous in praise of his once-upon-a-time rival. From the outside looking in, he finally appreciated what his replacement brought to the table.
Which, in a nutshell, was why Favre minced no words describing the Packers’ decision to take quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th pick in last week’s draft. Disclosing that he has talked to Rodgers about the choice, he predicted that the latter “will play somewhere else” at some point in the future. He told the Rich Eisen Show that the move sent a “disrespect message,” especially since the franchise had the option to pick up “any weapons that can help immediately.” Needless to say, he was speaking from experience; he drew from how he felt back when his exit was being engineered.
Significantly, Rodgers has stayed silent throughout. He’s also unlike his predecessor in character; he will likely be more accommodating towards Love, although not quite from the standpoint of a has-been on the way out. After all, he’s still one of the best in his position even at 36, and continues to draw from a contract that won’t expire until 2024. That said, Favre isn’t wrong. The Packers could have used the draft to provide him with more support; not for nothing does he have a grand total of one touchdown to a first-round draft pick. Instead, they went the opposite direction. He can’t possibly be happy, and only time will tell if he feels bad enough to want to leave, or bad enough to want to stay for as long as he can.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
