The Rodgers documentary provides an amazing reminder of the Favre machinations that took place in 2008. Clearly depressed by playing poorly and losing to the New York Giants in the NFC title game at a frigid Lambeau in January, Favre announced his retirement at an emotional news conference in March.
Rodgers, grabbed by the Packers after he tumbled to 24th overall in the 2005 draft, would be done sitting after three seasons. Then came rumbling from Mississippi that Favre was having second thoughts. Then, here came Brett flying into Green Bay, a crowd at the airport cheering madly, a crowd as Favre approached Packers headquarters, telling the team he wasn’t done.
The shake of the head you get from Rodgers in “Enigma” when asked to look back at Favre creating that disruption — well, he looked like a guy wishing he knew about ayahuasca back then.
The Packers stuck with the Rodgers plan, and Favre was traded to the New York Jets with unhappy results. Fifteen years later, these two all-timers will have that to share when bumping into one another.
There is a brief segment that was taped when Rodgers visited Favre at his home in Mississippi in 2018. Brett tries to explain away the quotes from 2005 about it not being his job to mentor a young quarterback. The smirk on Rodgers’ face sitting across from Favre 13 years later told more than his few words on that subject.
Later, they are seen walking toward some water behind Favre’s house and Brett is saying there haven’t been two quarterbacks to follow one another on a team like them — other than Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco.