Brett Favre will wind up in green this season after all -- New York Jets green.
Green Bay traded the future Hall of Fame quarterback to the Jets late Wednesday for an undisclosed draft pick. The development ends weeks of speculation about where Favre would land after ending his short-lived retirement.
"I am looking forward to seeing Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform," Jets Chairman/CEO Woody Johnson said in a statement issued by the club. "He represents a significant addition to this franchise, and reflects our commitment to putting the best possible product on the field."
Packers President Mark Murphy said in a written statement that the franchise owes Favre "a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything he accomplished on the field and for the impact he made in the state.
"It is with some sadness that we make this announcement, but also with the desire for certainty that will allow us to move the team and organization forward in the most positive way possible."
After determining they were moving on with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback, the Packers made it clear they had no intention of trading Favre within the NFC North. Green Bay was even willing to pay Favre more than $20 million to call it quits for good.
"We respect Brett's decision that he could no longer remain here as a Packer," Murphy wrote. "But there were certain things we were not willing to do because they were not in the best interest of the team. We were not going to release him nor trade him to a team within the division. When Brett ultimately decided that he still wanted to play football, but not in Green Bay, we told him that we would work to find the best solution for all parties involved."
Favre leaves Green Bay as the NFL's all-time leader in most major passing categories, including touchdowns (442), yards (61,655), completions (5,377) and attempts (8,758). He also started a record 253 consecutive games. By playing 16 seasons in a Packers uniform (1992-2007), he matches Bart Starr (1956-71) for the longest tenure in team history.
As late as Wednesday afternoon, Tampa Bay was also in the running for Favre, a three-time NFL most valuable player who nearly led Green Bay to the Super Bowl last season.
The Jets will have to create some salary-cap space to make room for Favre, who is due to make $12.7 million this season. At the moment, New York is $6.5 million under the cap but reportedly is likely to release quarterback Chad Pennington, who is scheduled to make $6 million.
