When Favre's a Jet he's a Jet all the way

Happyguy already broke the news: Brett Favre has officially been traded to the NY Jets.

The greatest QB in the history of the Packers is gone. Aaron Rodgers is the starting QB of the Packers. The king is dead. Long live the king.

OK...sorry for the melodrama. But this is big, isn't it?

While most eyes were fixed on a deal with Tampa Bay, the Jets were always rumored to be part of the possible scenario. And, as reported here yesterday, news reports were indicating that the Jets were offering the Packers a sweeter deal for Favre than were the Buccaneers. And that's ultimately what it came down to.

Here are the details as we have them now. The Packers receive -- no matter what -- a 4th round draft pick for Brett. If he plays at least 50% of the offensive snaps during the season (seems quite reasonable barring injury), the Pack will receive a 3rd round pick. If he plays at least 70 % of the snaps and the Jets make the playoffs, the Pack will get a 2nd round pick. If -- through the sheer majesty and will of our once great ol' #4 -- the Jets somehow make it to the Super Bowl, the Packers will receive a 1st round draft choice. So, Packer fans, you can still root for Brett! Go Brett Go!!!

Now, one of the other negative possibilities the Packers have reportedly addressed in this deal is a back-door trade from the Jets to ViQueens. You know, behind the scenes Minnesota may have been working with the Jets so the Jets could acquire Favre and then trade him to the 'Queens, right? While that still could be a possibility, the Jets would pay a heavy price. One of the poison pill type conditions being reported as part of this deal is that the Jets would have to give the Packers three 1st round draft picks if they trade Brett to the ViQueens. Ouch. For the Jets, anyway.

Brett has nearly gone full circle. The Jets -- and an employee there at the time by the name of Ron Wolf -- wanted to draft Favre in 1991. They didn't have a 1st round pick. Hoped he'd make it to the 2nd round. He did. Only problem was that the Atlanta Falcons selected him one pick before the Jets selection came up. Wolf moved from New York to Green Bay about a year later and swung his first deal for the kid from Mississippi and re-built a dynasty and helped build a football legend in the process.

But that was then. This is now. The Jets finally get Brett 17 years late. And the Packers -- and we, the fans -- got the best of his years.

The drama is over. Now we can get on to talking about what's actually going on: summer camp, preseason games and, quite possibly, who the veteran QB is that the Packers might try to pick up to back up Aaron Rodgers...you know...just in case...

You can read more about this deal, well, probably anywhere and everywhere. But here's a link to get you started.

The Packers Official Statement

A joint statement from Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy and General Manager Ted Thompson read:

“Brett has had a long and storied career in Green Bay, and the Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything he accomplished on the field and for the impact he made in the state. It is with some sadness that we make this announcement, but also with the desire for certainty that will allow us to move the team and organization forward in the most positive way possible.

“We respect Brett’s decision that he could no longer remain here as a Packer. But there were certain things we were not willing to do because they were not in the best interest of the team. We were not going to release him nor trade him to a team within the division. When Brett ultimately decided that he still wanted to play football, but not in Green Bay, we told him that we would work to find the best solution for all parties involved. We wish Brett and his family well.

“We appreciate the tremendous passion shown by our fans. We, like them, always will see Brett Favre as a Green Bay Packer and our respect for him never will change. Moving forward, we are dedicated to delivering a successful 2008 season for all Packers fans.”

Murphy, Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy are expected to address the media today at noon Central Time.

You can watch the press conference live on Packers.com by clicking here. (A live video window will appear on that page approximately 5 minutes before the scheduled live event.)