Brett Favre On Why He Returned for 2010: “The Money Was Too Good”

In retrospect, it was a terrible idea for the Vikings to bring back Brett Favre for one more run in 2010. 2009 was undoubtedly a magical season even with the disappointing ending but the front office should not have let those memories sway them. Sober assessment of the roster should’ve shown them it was time not to reload for another run but to retool for the future. I realize this is all hindsight but, they should’ve said goodbye to Brett after the NFC title game and gone to work getting younger all down the roster.

But the Vikings let themselves be guided by their belief in the magic of Favre over calm rational thinking and Brett was called back from the brink of retirement. It didn’t take much to get Brett to haul his battered body out there for one last run. Just $16. 5 million with a promise of $3.5 million more if the team made the postseason.

Of course Brett Favre only played for the love of the game and was not the least bit motivated by thoughts of riches. Right? Brett?

Um, no. In an interview Favre has revealed the primary factor behind his decision to come back for 2010. “First of all, the money was too good,” The Gunslinger told Deion Sanders during a 2-part interview on NFL Network. “The money was too good, and I hate to say it’s about money. But, you know, I felt the money was a lot.”

Of course Favre also wanted to pad his stats, extend his streak and add to his Canton legacy. But winning? Did he actually think the Vikings had a shot at winning in 2010?

Apparently not. Favre said he felt it would be “next to impossible” for the Vikings to recapture the magic of 2009. “Now, that’s not to say I didn’t give my all,” Favre elaborated. “It just wasn’t to be, and I think I knew that. I really know it now.”

So he came into the season pretty much convinced the team had no shot at winning. And he was mostly motivated by money at that point. But he still left it all out on the field because he’s Brett Favre and that’s just what Brett Favre does. Should we be bitter about his revelations? I say no. I say we should have no illusions about what Brett Favre was and is. We should hold onto our happy memories of that great 2009 run and thank Brett for the contribution he made, including making Packer fans squirm in their seats for a couple of months.

In the end we’re all motivated by money to some extent. Who doesn’t love cash? Favre’s admission means little in the grand scheme. Regardless of whatever else might have been going on, he always gave all he had on the field, there’s no one who will question that. The problem is, by 2010, he didn’t have a lot left to give, and the Vikings should’ve recognized that. The blame doesn’t rest with Favre, it rests with Brad Childress, Rick Spielman and Zygi Wilf.

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