There aren’t many coincidences in the game of football. Despite an occasional quirk like the NFC East not having a repeating champ for over a decade, very rarely are things coincidental.
The Green Bay Packers orchestrating two blockbuster trades of their last two quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, to the New York Jets is a remarkable coincidence and a telling view of the states of both franchises.
The Packers sent Rodgers to the Jets this offseason, making waves of deja vu for many sports fans. Just 15 years earlier, the Packers sent Favre to the Jets in 2008. In a twist of irony, it was the selections of young signal-callers by the Packers that would eventually push both veteran QBs out of Green Bay to New York.
Brett Favre Trade Details
The Packers traded for Favre in 1992, sending a first-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons in return. From that point to 2005, Favre won three MVP awards, led the league in passing yardage twice and touchdowns four times, and took the Packers to the playoffs 10 times with two Super Bowl appearances.
However, everything started to fall apart in 2005. The Packers selected Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Favre had flirted with retirement but returned to the team each time (yet another parallel to the Rodgers saga).
In March of 2008, Favre decided to retire, a decision partly sped up by the Packers’ desire to play Rodgers. Favre retired, and the Packers turned the job over to Rodgers. However, Favre wouldn’t stay retired for long.
In June of 2008, Favre stated he would like to come back and play for the Packers again. The Packers didn’t budge, stating Rodgers was now their starting quarterback. While Green Bay didn’t want to burn bridges with their future Hall of Famer, they remained adamant that Rodgers was going to be their starter.
The sides couldn’t reach an agreement until August, when other teams began inquiring about Favre playing for them. The Packers agreed to trade Favre to the Jets, choosing their offer over sending him to an NFC opponent in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Packers traded Favre for a conditional fourth-round pick. The pick would turn into a third-rounder if Favre played 50% of snaps, a second-rounder if he played 70% of snaps, and a first-rounder if he played 80% of snaps and the Jets make the Super Bowl.
MORE: 2023 NFL QB Power Rankings
However, Favre’s tenure with the Jets didn’t last long. The Jets enjoyed an 8-3 start before he suffered an injury to his biceps, and the team tumbled to finish with a 9-7 record and missed the playoffs. Favre told the Jets at the end of the 2008 season he wanted to go back to retirement.
That retirement would also not last long, as Favre came back in January 2009 to sign with the Packers’ NFC North-rival Minnesota Vikings. Favre played two seasons as a Viking before finally calling it quits.
The stories and actions of all parties involved in both the Favre and Rodgers sagas are remarkable parallels to each other. The Jets are hoping for a different ending to this tale, while the Packers begin the start of a new chapter under Love.
