Brett Favre - Once Again the Center of the NFL Universe

At the end of the 2007-08 NFL season, I wrote an article regarding Brett Favre the retirement non-decision that led to his being traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets (http://tinyurl.com/yfrudbs). Lately, Brett Favre is in the midst of having to make another decision regarding his football future, and once again, his current team the Minnesota Vikings are forced to put their season plans on hold until Brett makes his annual decision.

Brett Favre will turn 41 by the time that the 2010 NFL season is one month old, and Brett is already in the elite company of only 16 other men who, as quarterbacks, were on active rosters of NFL teams at or above the age of 40. Based on the fact that men like George Blanda, Warren Moon and Doug Flutie were effective NFL quarterbacks far above the age of 40, Brett, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in his 40th year of life and his 19th year of professional football has more than enough incentive to continue his career. However, there are several questions that Brett and the Vikings need to consider, and the Vikings should not be made to wait very long for the answers with the NFL Draft right around the corner and the free agency signing period already underway.

The Vikings ended the 2009-10 NFL season with Brett as the starting QB, with Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels playing behind him. Jackson is a restricted free agent, which means that the Vikings get compensation from the team that signs him. That also means that if Jackson leaves, and Brett decides to retire, the Vikings are left with Rosenfels as their starting quarterback, and with the Vikings holding the 30th pick in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft, the chances of landing a franchise quarterback start to become slim. Thus, the Vikings become shoppers, and while there are several very good quarterbacks available as free agents, there is not one who would be considered frightening to opposing defenses as Brett was and still is.

Next is the possibility of trading up to be able to draft one of the franchise quarterbacks. If Brett is returning, and knowing his legacy of not missing games, there would be little opportunity for a young quarterback to get any in-game experience. However, if Brett were not going to be around, the Vikings could possibly trade up into a slot where they would be able to draft one of the stud quarterbacks that were available. If Brett doesn´t make his decision until after the draft, then any decision that the Vikings make in anticipation of Brett´s decision could ultimately be the wrong one.

There is also the possibility that Rosenfels, though coming into his 10th year of NFL service, is simply not ready. In nine seasons, Sage has appeared in 32 games, starting in 12. This is not much of a resume for a man who might be asked to lead a Super Bowl contender. If the Vikings stand pat, hoping that Bret will return, and then he decides not to, and they lose Jackson to free agency, Sage Rosenfels will have to, ready or not, become the man for the Vikings. He would be thrust into the starting role until the Vikings were able to lift some other team´s quality reserve and allow that person to compete for the starting spot. The Vikings, who lost in overtime on a field goal in the NFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, would be looking to take that important next step, and they would be forced to do it with an inexperienced but 33-year-old Rosenfels at the helm.

Brett´s decision of whether or not he will be returning for his 20th season in professional football needs to be made and needs to be made soon. The decision not only impacts his life and the lives of his family members, it also impacts his team, his teammates, their families, the coaches, their families, the fans, the state of Minnesota, and the entire National Football League (anyone who might have had Jackson on their radar is affected by this decision). While this might seem like a lot on one man´s shoulders, Brett Favre is a Super Bowl winning quarterback, and there have only been 28 of those. Brett Favre is worth the wait, but the Vikings cannot afford to have to wait too long.