Brett Favre Should Have Packers Number Retired By 2016, CEO Says

Brett Favre could have his Green Bay Packers No. 4 retired by 2016 said team president and CEO Mark Murphy on Saturday, signaling another crack in the icy relationship between the quarterback and his original team.

The comments came during an online column where Murphy answered questions from fans on the team's website Packers.com. Murphy said that honoring Favre by retiring his number would be strongly welcomed by fans, NFL.com reported.


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"We do want to bring Brett back into the fold, and plan on retiring his number," Murphy said in responding to a question. "He deserves to have his number retired for what he accomplished, and meant to the Packers, during his time here."

Murphy said he thought Favre's joint presentation with current Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who replaced Favre in Green Bay, at an NFL Honors event in February was a good "first step" in drawing Favre back to the organization. Favre and Rodgers, according to USA Today, presented the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award together at the event, according to USA Today.

With that event done, Murphy said it is just a matter of picking the proper place and time to recognize Favre.

"It is really just a question of timing in terms of retiring his jersey," Murphy said on Packers.com. "The timing has to be right for both Brett and the organization. Brett will be a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2016, and we would like to retire his number prior to his induction. I know that many of our fans were upset that Brett played for the Vikings. As time goes by, though, I think wounds are healed and people focus more on the great things he did for the team during his 16 years here."

Will Brinson, of CBS Sports, said while some fans will never forgive former All-Pro quarterback for signing with team rival Minnesota after a short stint with the New York Jets, he believe most fans will welcome him back with open arms.

"If you watched Favre do Favre things with the Packers, you understand the vitriol from green and gold fans when it came to No. 4's exit from football," Brinson said of Brett Favre's legacy on CBSSports.com. "Let's not forget that Favre won 160 games with the Packers during his 16 years as starting quarterback. Clearly Murphy's not stubborn enough to do so. Most rational Packers fans won't be either, and if Favre's number is retired it'll end up being a good thing for everyone involved."

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