Favre Had Plenty of Reasons to Retire

The news of Brett Favre's retirement took many Packers fans, me included, by surprise today. Most of us believed that, after last year's miracle season that almost saw the team make the Super Bowl, Favre would have no hesitation returning for another year. And, many wondered why he would choose to do what he did with the team seemingly on the way up.

The answer, quite simply, is he had plenty of reasons to retire.

There are no guarantees in the NFL. The Packers went 13-3 and lost in the NFC Title Game last season. So, naturally people assume they should be able to do at least that much next season. However, that isn't necessarily the case. The Packers could have made the Super Bowl. Or, they could have been like the New Orleans Saints, who finished 7-9 just one season after losing in the NFC Title Game. There are no guarantees in the NFL and a couple key injuries could have had Favre finishing his career on a losing note rather than one of his best seasons ever.

Injury can strike at any time. Favre retires with the career record for consecutive starts. But, he wasn't fully healthy in many of those starts and, in the past two seasons, ran the risk of that streak ending because of two separate injuries to his throwing arm. At some point, his luck was going to run out. A low shot by a defensive lineman could take out his knee or a hard enough hit could give him a concussion. And, let's be honest, the team's offensive line isn't overly impressive.

Two words, Brad Johnson. In 2005, Johnson was the toast of Minnesota after taking over for an injured Daunte Culpepper and winning 7 of his 9 starts. The Vikings named him the starting quarterback in 2006 and even traded Culpepper to Miami only to see Johnson show sudden and significant deterioration that eventually led to his benching and release. Favre retired with one of the strongest arms in the league but, there were already signs last year that he may not have had the strength he used to and age has a way of catching up to quarterbacks quickly and without warning. In one season he could have gone from a quarterback who retired too early to one who stuck around too long.

He could have ended up like Joe Montana. Montana refused to retire and wound up finishing his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Favre was in no danger of being cut. But, he was only signed for one more year and, at some point, the Packers would have had to make a decision whether to re-sign him or move on with Aaron Rodgers. If the team chose the latter of the two, then Favre, if he still wanted to play, would have to finish his career in another uniform; something fans and he didn't want to happen.