SI's Peter King: Brett Favre tried to join Bears in 2008

[LambeauLegs]

Brett Favre tried to join Bears in 2008 - Chicago Tribune


For years through the 1990s and 2000s it was no secret that many Bears fans coveted their chief tormentor, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Now a Peter King report reveals that Favre gave serious consideration to fulfilling that wish.

On his MMQB.com blog, Sports Illustrated's King recounted the spring of 2008 when the Packers were pressuring Favre to decide whether he would play in the fall or retire after 17 seasons. Favre, albeit temporarily, chose retirement.

"... I was washing my dog in my New Jersey driveway (true story) when my cell rang. It was Favre," King recalled. "I put down the soap and hose and talked to him. He said he was having second thoughts. Lots of them. He said he still wanted to play. He said he was thinking of asking for his release so he could play somewhere else. Chicago or Minnesota, maybe. I told him I didn’t think the Packers would release him so he could torment them from within the division. I remember saying to him that day he should think about all the kids with Brett Favre posters on their walls; they’d be heartbroken if he ever walked into Lambeau as a Bear or Viking. At the time he wanted to keep his ruminations quiet, because he was still thinking about what to do."

The Bears were attractive because Chicago had no established quarterback. In 2007, the Bears split signal-caller duties between Brian Griese, Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton. Only Orton had a winning record, and that was 2-1.

By July, Favre had changed his mind about retiring and tried to persuade the Packers to release him. Chicago and Minnesota remained ideal destinations.

"On the Saturday before the Packers were due at training camp, I visited Favre at his home outside Hattiesburg, Miss. He and wife Deanna were there, and agent Bus Cook. We went to dinner with some relatives, then back to the house on his 465-acre spread. That day, (Packers general manager Ted) Thompson asked Favre for a list of teams he’d agree to be traded to. Favre wouldn’t give him one. If Favre couldn’t go to Minnesota or Chicago, his preference was to force Thompson’s hand, and come back to play quarterback for the Packers. For Thompson, that was a non-starter."

The Packers didn't budge on letting Favre go to a division rival, but they did trade him to the New York Jets in August. Orton started all but one game in 2008 and the Bears finished 9-7.

 

[leomaz]

YAAAAWWWWNNNNN

 

[richig07]

Well, while that is interesting, it's kind of moot. That season was an odd one (as far as the Lovie Smith era is concerned). The Bears went 9-7 and narrowly missed a playoff spot, dropping a "win and in" game in Houston in week 17. Orton actually played well that year and the Bears won most games based upon their offensive output. Their defensive line battled injuries and as a result they could not generate any pressure. Orton and the Bears offense put up some impressive performances that season. Dropped 48 on a good Minnesota Vikings defense at home.

In the meantime, Favre had a terrible second half and the Jets missed the playoffs. I just don't think he's the difference between the Bears being a Super Bowl contender that season or not. In 05 or 06? Yeah, forget about it. They win the Super Bowl going away, but the defense wasn't there in 2008.

However, the time I always remember, is in 2011 when the Bears were 7-3 and really clicking. Cutler got hurt, followed by Forte. This was the year after Favre retired. In an interview, he said he would listen if the Bears called. The Bears never did. They opted to go with the inexperienced Caleb Hanie. He was awful. The Bears imploded, and finished 8-8.

I don't know how you bring in Favre when Cutler was playing the best he had as a Bear. Just asking for a QB controversy when he would have been healthy around playoff time. However, I do think back on that and think "damn… that would have been interesting". More interesting than Caleb F'ing Hanie, anyway.