Packers Plan to Retire No. 4 ... Someday

Not even the biggest cynic can deny the impact Brett Favre had on the Green Bay Packers in his 17 years there.

Favre was an icon in Wisconsin, and still is to many, many people. There is no question that he has done more than enough to merit a spot on one of the most exclusive lists in sports -- the short list of players whose numbers have been retired by the Packers.

Just don't expect that day to come anytime in 2009.

"I don't anticipate it this season," Murphy said Saturday, speaking to reporters at the team's annual "fan fest" at Lambeau Field. "Obviously we will do it. We've made that commitment. He deserves to have his number retired. I just think both sides need some time."

Besides, Murphy joked, who's to say Favre won't change his mind yet again?

"Quite honestly, from a practical standpoint, we had to cancel one retirement ceremony already," Murphy said, laughing. "I think it's smart to make sure that he is retired, rather than going through a situation like that again."

Last summer was ugly for Favre and the Packers. Favre's ill-timed phone call to head coach Mike McCarthy -- he waited until the day after Green Bay's offseason program wrapped up, then called to say he was considering a comeback -- set the stage for a circus no one wanted to participate in.

When Favre retired 150 days earlier, he tearfully bid farewell. Before two months had even passed, he was thinking about rescinding his retirement. After waffling back-and-forth, he stayed retired until training camp.

In the meantime, the Packers made very public their decision to retire Favre's jersey at a ceremony during their home opener. Tickets for that game were printed with Favre's image on them. When Favre decided to come back and was eventually traded to the Jets, the Packers postponed their plans.

Both sides hold responsibility for what happened. It's really no different than any kind of relationship that ends with a breakup. Rarely is one half of the relationship responsible for its dissolution.

In this case, Favre and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, weren't angelic. Favre so hated the idea of having to show up for offseason workouts that he waited until the day after they ended to make his call to McCarthy. Of course, we're supposed to believe it's just a coincidence. Favre felt pressure to make a decision, but the Packers simply wanted to know as soon as possible. It wasn't like anyone was going to name Aaron Rodgers the starting quarterback before Favre made up his mind.

Packers president Mark Murphy, general manager Ted Thompson, and McCarthy have a share of the blame, too. It's not likely that Favre is making up stories about feeling unwanted, and given his iconic stature both in Wisconsin and around the NFL, it would have been wise to make sure he knew he was wanted back. Once he decided he wanted to play again, the Packers probably couldn't have handled their side of the situation much worse. Frankly, they were lucky to end up with a third-round pick from the Jets, given how obvious it was that the team had to unload Favre. A part of that was out of the team's control, but what they could control was not dealt with to anyone's satisfaction.

When it's all said and done, Murphy is absolutely correct. It's wise to hold off on the jersey retirement. In a couple of years, the two parties will sit down, realize how dumb this all was, and Favre will return to Lambeau Field.