Why Brett Favre Won't Retire in 2010

Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Brett Favre was having arguably the best season of his incredible 19-year career, until he threw an untimely interception in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship game against the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. In an instant, the Vikings’ dream season was over, and talk of Brett’s next retirement immediately began.

Even though Brett turned 40 last season and was repeatedly pummeled during the aforementioned NFC title game, I don’t think he will retire. After he’s had a few months away from the game, he’ll realize a few important things that will keep him from hanging up his cleats:

• He’s still under contract with the Vikings for one more season—and he’s set to make $13 million. Not that he needs the money, but $13 million is a pretty good incentive to play one season of football.
• The Vikings are built to be as good or better than they were last season. If Brett was happy with this team in 2009, he ought to be thrilled with 2010. I understand there are no guarantees, but if he’s playing the percentages, this year’s Vikings should be better than last year’s team.
• While Brett was beat up against the Saints, he spent much of the season relatively unscathed—and healthy. Even with the bumps and bruises suffered in the NFC Championship game still visible, Brett will be the first to tell you he feels pretty good physically.
• Lastly, Brett simply can’t end his career with an interception. It can’t end that way. It just can’t.

With all this being said, I hope Brett doesn’t make the off-season dramatic. He recently appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and gave us nothing. But I do feel he should just come out with a statement that he will be back. And then he should attend some of the team’s mini-camps and the entire training camp. On second thought, there shouldn’t even need to be a statement. As I said, Brett’s still under contract. So, it should be expected that he’ll return, unless he says he’s going to retire. Which, of course, means he’ll probably un-retire. Again.