What If...Brett Favre Attempts To Come Back?

Sources are saying that Brett Favre has contacted the Green Bay Packers about a possible return to football. Rumor has it that he, or agent Bus Cook, has spoken directly to head coach Mike McCarthy, but nothing has definitively been said.

There's the news part of it. Now to the editorial part of it.

If Brett Favre really has contacted McCarthy about a comeback (which he denies), it would not surprise me at all. From the way he talked at his retirement speech, everyone could tell, and see for that matter, that he did not lose his love for the game nor his passion, and definitely not his ability. But as he said, he had lost the drive and had become mentally tired.

This is not an uncommon way for a player to end his career. Players' bodies take abuse every week during the games, not to mention the abuse taken during practices, so their bodies can sustain the abuse taken during a game.

That is visible by the laundry list of injuries week in and week out: broken bones, torn ligaments and muscles, sprained this, and fractured that.

But what's not seen is the mental toll football can take on someone.

In addition to games and practices, there are countless meetings. A lot of times players arrive before the sun rises, and leave after it sets. Hours are spent flipping through your playbook, re-watching the same play over and over for hours, attempting to pick up all the subtle nuances, going over the scheme and gameplan for the coming week and so on and so forth.

This is all time spent away from your family and loved ones. Most players don't even go back to their homes after practices, they stay in hotels or in a home they bought close to the stadium.

Even with a home close by, most players don't bring their families. Children can't handle that type of back-and-forth and their wives must stay back with the children.

All of that can be a heavier price to pay than the wear and tear on a player's body. Broken bones will heal with time, tears can be surgically repaired and not affect living conditions, even Kevin Everett is walking again and will be able to lead a normal life.

But what cannot be fixed is the mental anguish sustained while leading the life of an NFL player. Even the sturdiest of marriages would be greatly affected by the absence of a husband, father, or both. Even the sturdiest of men may be shaken by what can seem like a 25-hour-a-day job.

The fact of the matter is that this side is rarely shown. The only thing the fans get to see is the glamour side to being an NFL superstar, and of course, when those superstars get themselves into trouble.

Which brings me to another point: Can the mental anguish lead players to behave the way they do? Ricky Williams sure seems like a prime example. Granted, he had psychological problems before becoming a player in the NFL, but did the mental side of the game exacerbate the problems he was having and lead him to the life he chose?

No one can really say for sure, but it's food for thought.

Back to Favre specifically. He used the phrase mentally tired repeatedly, but also made sure to point out that he still feels he can play, physically. We all knew that around the time he called it quits that it would be easy. Not having to attend the OTAs or do all the lifting and running probably seemed wonderful at the time, and after 17 years of doing it, who could blame him?

But after a little while of being off, being away from something he has done for 17 years, not including as a kid, high school, and college, has to be hurting.

Everyone thinks that because he's gone on the record as saying he has an "itch" to play again that it means he is looking to come back. I don't see that. I'm sure any ex-NFL player will tell you that around this time, maybe a little after this, that they got that itch to play again.

Once you're a football player, it sticks with you and becomes a part of who you are. Instantly removing that would be like yanking one of your arms off, in a manner of speaking.

Now on to the business side of it.

I don't believe that the Packers could allow Favre back on their team. They have already put so much time into the Aaron Rodgers project that to put it on hold now would cost them dearly. He has been told over and over, I'm sure, that he is the future of this franchise and that they believe in him. They have tweaked the offense to suit his style and are ready to move toward the future with him at the helm.

Not so fast. Enter in Brett Favre.

If Brett Favre says he would like to come back, how extremely difficult would it be to tell arguably the best quarterback ever that he's no longer wanted? I explained the Aaron Rodgers side of it, but even with all of that said, how can you look a man like Brett Favre in the eyes, a man who has given that franchise almost two decades of his life, and tell him his services are no longer required or wanted?

I think Ted Thompson would have a very difficult time doing that. Even knowing that allowing him back could ruin Rodgers as a quarterback forever, it would still be tempting to bring him back in. Especially knowing that the Packers are just one or two pieces away from heading back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years.

So, let's assume that has happened. Favre has made the call, he wants to come back.

The Packers have three options:

1. Allow him back on the team.

2. Release him.

3. Trade Him.

We've already discussed the ramifications of allowing him back on the team, so on to two and three.

Release Brett Favre? You would have to be nuts. The two best fits for him other than the Pack are in their division, and with a quarterback, that could be a mighty headache for the cheeseheads. So, that's out.

That just leaves trading him. That should be easy enough, right? Trading a future Hall of Fame quarterback who can still play and lead his team as well as if he was 25-years old. Eh, it would be a lot harder than it sounds. Here's why.

Favre is scheduled to make somewhere around $26 million in the next two years. That's a heavy amount for a team to pick up. Most teams aren't looking to have that kind of money at this point because they have their free agents and rookies all locked up. They are set, for the most part.

Another obstacle would be his indecisiveness on whether or not he wants to play. A team is gonna shy away from a guy who retired for four months, only to change his mind, especially after three years of mulling it over.

Also, Favre is going to want to come back and play for a contender. What contending team is not already set at quarterback? The Minnesota Vikings! But same division, so no dice.

The point being, Favre would not want to go play for the Falcons (again! a lot of people like to forget that little chestnut) and mentor Matt Ryan while the team goes 4-12.

Another problem with playing for a new team is learning a new system. Brett is a smart guy and I'm sure he could do it. But would he want to? His big thing was he's mentally tired and learning a new system will certainly drain someone.

The main point is this: I do not believe Favre will seriously entertain the idea of coming back into the NFL, possibly for all of those reasons. He's smart enough to realize that there is a business side to the NFL and that he does not fit with the business plans of the Green Bay Packers.

Brett needs to stay at home, enjoy his time with his wife and kids, and decide on what he would like to accomplish next in his still-young life. Old football players are still young people with a lot of opportunities to do what they would like with all the money they have accumulated.

If I had the chance to advise Brett Favre on the situation, I would tell him, "Brett, you've done all you can in the NFL. You have almost every record that there is, you have a Super Bowl ring, and in five years they'll be unveiling your likeness in Canton. There's nothing left for you to do or to prove. Don't tarnish your legacy by doing something foolish. Let the incredible ride of the Brett Favre era come to an end."