Favre reinstated by NFL Commish Goodell, will compete for Packers starting QB slot Favre reinstated by NFL Commish Goodell, will compete for Packers starting QB slot

NFL Commissioner reinstated Brett Favre on Sunday after negotiations between the Packers and their “unretired” QB proved fruitless. Favre is expected to report to the team’s training camp and will be added to the active roster on Monday. In a tersely worded press release, team CEO/President Mark Murphy tried to put a positive spin on things by stating simply: “Sixteen years after Brett Favre came to the Packers, he is returning for a seventeenth season.” In a subsequent press conference, head coach Mike McCarthy stopped short of saying that Favre had been “guaranteed” an opportunity to compete for the starting position but indicated that the job was “open” which, of course, means the same thing.

McCarthy’s statement also included this caveat about the whole situation: “Frankly, Brett's change of mind put us in a very difficult spot. We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett's decision last March to retire. As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That's why this wasn't easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it's very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction - but we'll put this to our advantage.”

This is a nice way of saying that #4’s change of heart jerked the entire organization around. At his tearful retirement press conference last March, Favre left the game as one of the most respected team leaders ever. He now returns as the personification of a self absorbed diva, putting his own interests before the good of the Packers franchise and teammates. He left in the same class as Johnny Unitas, and is returning as more of a Celine Dion.

The real victim in all of this is Aaron Rodgers, who faced the unenviable task of filling Favre’s shoes in the best case scenario. Now he’s forced to compete against Favre in what is essentially a “no-win” situation for him. Should he win the starting job he’ll be seen by many Packer loyalists as the man who put Favre out to pasture—only Favre will be there breathing over his shoulder and waiting for the inevitable rookie mistakes. Should Favre become the team starter, it delays Rodgers’ development as a starting quarterback and prevents the Packers from rebuilding for the future until #4 decides to retire again and follows through with his decision.

For the time being and since they have no real alternative, however, the Packers are trying to put a positive spin on the situation. As Mark Murphy concluded his statement “This has been a tough situation, but the Packers will make the most of it.” That conclusion is a diplomatic way of saying that Favre’s need for ego gratification is bigger than the good of the team, and for now at least the Packers just have to suck it up and deal with it.