Pull a Jake Plummer on Brett Favre?
In what is traditionally the most boring part of the year with regards to the NFL, Brett Favre has managed to stir up the hornet’s nest with his request to be removed from the reserve/retired list. I won’t bore you with all the details or rumors swirling around Favre, but I will highlight the Packers’ options, and how they all are less than desirable:
- Start Favre again and risk alienating Aaron Rodgers, who could promptly bolt as a free agent in 2010.
- Make Favre ride the pine, and waste $12 million in base salary to do so.
- Cut Favre, and risk him going to a team that the Packers would not want him to play for, the worst case scenario being the Minnesota Vikings.
- Try and trade Favre, in which would be difficult to convince a team to acquire a 38 year old quarterback with a $12 million base salary for any meaningful compensation.
My guess is that the Packers would just wish that Favre would stay retired. I had been pondering what Green Bay could do to come as close to that goal as possible. As it turns out, the answer might just lie within the history of the team I cover.
The Broncos were able to able to get Jake Plummer to retire.
Of course, that was not likely their primary intention when the team concluded Plummer’s chapter in Denver. However, like the Packers of today, they faced a potential quarterback controversy when they drafted Jay Cutler in 2006, and subsequently benched Plummer in favor of Cutler in the middle of the season that year. After that year ended, the Broncos wanted to make it clear that Cutler was the man from here on out, so they sought out ways to move Plummer out of the picture. The team lucked out by finding a trade suitor in Tampa Bay, but Plummer decided he’d rather retire than play for Jon Gruden.
Could the Packers emulate the conclusion of Plummer’s career with Favre? Let’s say that the Packers obtain a list of teams that Favre would like to play for. The team then finds a trade partner that is interested in Favre, but is not a team that Favre wants to play for. Compensation would be no worry for the Packers if their primary goal is to get Favre to retire. Favre then would be stuck with the same situation that Plummer was when he went to the Bucs—either report to a team that he has no desire to play for, or retire.
Thus, the Packers would achieve the following: they would end any quarterback controversy and absolutely confirm Aaron Rodgers as the future; they would be freed of Favre’s $12 million salary, and; they would assure that Favre doesn’t go a team that the Packers would disapprove of. (read: division rival) If Favre elects to retire and has a signing bonus, the team that acquires him would not only be relieved of the $12 million salary, but could also choose to file a grievance to recoup a portion of the bonus, like the Bucs did with Plummer.
This path is likely as bad or unlikely as the others listed above—you still have to find a team willing to take a possible $12 million liability, and you also risk that team potentially cutting Favre after the trade and see him bolt to a place like Minnesota. Yet by pulling a Jake Plummer, it might be the best available way for the team to save face.
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10 Responses to “Pull a Jake Plummer on Brett Favre?”
July 14th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Head over to SaveBrett.net to sign the online petition urging the Packers to take Brett Favre back. Seldom does a genuine hero come along … Rarer still one who needs our help. The site just went up overnight. Be the first to sign and show your support! ——- http://www.SaveBrett.net
July 14th, 2008 at 3:45 am
SaveBrett.net. Why sign a petition for something the Packers already said they would do? They have never once said they would not take Favre back. Are you living in a bubble?
July 14th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Did I miss something here? It looked to me like this superman you describe threw an interception to keep his team out of the SuperBowl last time he played. This is not the 1996 model of Brett Favre. This is an older athlete with the head of a coach, but sadly enough his skills have diminished.
GB fan, what you are asking your team to do is put you in the position two or three years from now of hanging #4 in the rafters while asking “how are we ever going to win again?”
The worst thing for this team is not no Brett. The worst thing for this team would be a pissed off Aaron Rodgers in Minny or Chicago torching you twice a season because you just couldn’t let go.
Remember, there are some of you who thought Don Majkowski should hae stayed as the starter, that Brett benefitted from throwing to Sterling Sharpe, etc. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, Pack fan.
You will seriously set this franchise back 10 years.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:59 am
In regard to the interception against the Giants In the playoffs, Brett threw for 2 TD’s, Eli Manning 0 TD’s. It was just dumb luck. Granted, dumb on Favre, luck on the Giants. I’d bet my money on Favre, not Arod who has been hurt and put on the injured reserve list, what 2 or 3 times. He’s a sissy. He reminds me of the quarterback from the Waterboy movie. Favre has not missed a game in 16 years with the Packers. Force TT to retire and bring back Ron Wolff.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
[…] Can the Packers use the Jake Plummer model to get rid of Favre? [Thin Air] […]
July 14th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
You wrote: “The team then finds a trade partner that is interested in Favre, but is not a team that Favre wants to play for. Compensation would be no worry for the Packers if their primary goal is to get Favre to retire.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t you think the team the Pack tries to trade with would quickly realize that Favre does not want to play for that team and would possibly retire? I think before they would give up draft picks and/or players that other team would find out if they were on or off Favre’s “favorites list” of teams he would play for before wasting draft picks, players, time and money on such a transaction.
This IS a trade of a future HoF, NFL QB not a mail order bride from Slovena we’re talking about here, both parties are fairly sophisticated.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
farve retired because no one at the packers organization begged him to come back. he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do and unlike previous years no one was sitting there going please brett we need you. a few months go by, and the packers are like well aaron rodgers is our QB. they aren’t saying brett couldn’t take it from him in training camp, but they aren’t saying that he can. he wants to start and feels like the pack has moved on so he asks for a release so he can pick were to play and go play there. the packers don’t want him to play for a rival but now they are screwed because taking him back as a starter means aaron rodgers will get mad. no one is going to win here.
July 14th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
This entire situation is sad. Someone has to make a decision and stick to it. I know that Packer fans like Favre, but find a way to resolve the issue while checking out Rodgers. It’s painful to change, but the load will soon get lighter. Find a suitable replacement because the organization and your love for them will go on forever.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
First off that scenereo would not work because in Favres contract he can veto a trade to a team he doesnt want to play for. Second who cares about aaron rogers. Hes a nobody in the NFL. I dont care about his feelings or if its supposed to be his turn. Football is about competition and more importantly entertainment and no one is more entertaining than Brett Favre. I have been a Packers since I was 8 im 26 now and with the exception of the unlikely scenerio where Brett Favre returns to the Packers as the starter I will never be a Packer Fan again thanks to all of Ted Thompsons BS. I am always a Brett Farve and want nothing more than to see him get to Minnesota and where he would have a chance at a Super Bowl title. Every thing negative you people are talking about concerning Favre the bottom line is the Packers still have a better chance to win with Favre than with Rogers.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Remember, someone had to give you a chance in order to succeed. The blogs on this particular comment have been fairly mild. Believe it or not, your gm is the type that exists in organized sports today and that is why he was hired. Tempers are flaring, but remember we don’t always feel the same way days or even years from now. You can’t possibly go 1-15 because that has already been done! So, continue to love Favre since he is your favorite and our savior has never made a nobody. It’ll get better just hold on!
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