Brett Favre

Brett Favre is a legendary figure in the NFL. Between the 1990s and the 2000s, Brett Favre redefined the role of a quarterback and retired in 2010 as the NFL leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and quarterback wins. During his 20 years in the league, he has played for four different teams. He was initially selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons as a backup and traded to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the following year. He played for the Packers for 16 years, helping them defeat the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XXXI. He is the only athlete to have three straight victories in the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award (1995-1997). He led the league in throwing touchdowns two times (1995, 1998), passing yards four times (1995–1997, 2003), and completion percentage four times (1998). In 1995 and 1996, he won the Bert Bell award in back-to-back years. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, which is one of the highest honors in football.

Brett Favre’s Early Life and Background

On October 10, 1969, Brett Lorenzo Favre was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, in the tiny town of Kiln. His parents Ernest Favre and Bonita Ann both worked as educators for the Hancock County School District. His father Irvin also served as the head football coach for the high school. Brett Favre played baseball and football when a student at Hancock North Central High School.

Brett Favre received a football scholarship from Southern Mississippi University.

He preferred to play quarterback even though they wanted him to play defensive back.

He thus began his rookie season as the backup quarterback. It wasn't until the second half of the third game of that season that he took over as the starting quarterback. He started a total of eleven games during his rookie season as a result of his performance in that game, which helped him establish himself as a quarterback. In 15 of his collegiate games, he passed for more than 200 yards, and five of those games saw him pass for more than 300 yards. Up until 2011, Favre owned several Southern Mississippi football records, but Austin Davis eventually broke most of them.

Brett Favre NFL Draft

Brett Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL Draft. He was the 33rd overall pick of the 1991 NFL Draft, and he agreed to a three year rookie contract worth $1.4 million.

Brett Favre’ NFL Journey

Brett Favre was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Before being traded to the Green Bay Packers, he served as a backup for most of the season. Favre started for the Packers in 13 of their 15 games during the year.

After then, until 2010, Favre started every game for the Green Bay Packers. When he was a member of the Packers, Favre excelled, transforming the once-struggling team into a dynasty and establishing himself as one of the league's top quarterbacks. He set an NFL record by playing 321 postseason games and 297 straight regular season games.

Brett Favre played in 297 games, won 186 of them, and passed for more than 71,000 yards, 508 touchdowns, and 336 interceptions. After the Packers triumphed against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, the first three-time MVP of the NFL steered his team to a championship win. Favre requested to be moved to the New York Jets after a protracted, drama-filled process.

The Jets lost four of their final five games of the season, including their final contest against the Miami Dolphins, knocking them out of the playoffs despite Brett Favre's successful start with the team. After being released from his contract, Favre joined the Minnesota Vikings.

The first season Brett Favre spent in Minnesota was fantastic.

The seasoned quarterback passed for more than 4,000 yards, with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He guided the Vikings to a 12-4 record and the NFC title game. By the season's conclusion, Favre had won his 11th Pro Bowl. In Week 4, Favre faced the Green Bay Packers, a team he previously played for. In the 30-23 victory, he threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns. After defeating Green Bay, Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat each of the 32 teams that have joined the league since its expansion. With the Vikings, Favre played out his final season in 2010. The quarterback accomplished two additional feats in his final campaign. He faced his old team, the New York Jets, and passed for his 500th touchdown and 70,000th yard total. After the team fell down by 14 points in the fourth quarter, Brett Favre passed for a career-high 446 yards against the Arizona Cardinals, helping the team win in overtime.

Brett Favre’s Teams

Atlanta Falcons (1991)

Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round with the 33rd overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. Favre signed a three-year, US$1.4 million deal on July 19, 1991, with a rumored signing bonus of $350,000. Jerry Glanville, the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, opposed the selection of Favre, claiming it would take a plane accident for him to start using him.

In Week 11's contest against the Washington Redskins, Favre's first pass in an NFL regular-season game ended in an interception that was returned for a score. In his one season with Atlanta, he only attempted four passes, was intercepted twice and didn't complete a single one. After one more snap, Favre was sacked for a loss of eleven yards.

Green Bay Packers (1992-2007)

Favre was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL Draft, despite Ron Wolf's initial desire to choose him as the New York Jets' assistant general manager. As a result, Wolf surrendered a first-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons in 1992 while serving as general manager of the Green Bay Packers in order to acquire Favre. The NFL's first and only player to win three straight AP MVP awards, Favre went on to play 16 seasons with Green Bay. Additionally, Favre assisted in guiding the Packers to victories in Super Bowls XXXI and XXXII, both of which were played in Minneapolis. Between September 20, 1992, and January 20, 2008, he started every game for the Packers; his streak lasted an incredible 297 games, an NFL record.

On March 1, 2001, Favre signed a 10-year contract extension worth around $100 million. Favre led the Packers to an NFL record 29 consecutive home wins (25 regular seasons, 4 post-season) until they were defeated by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, October 5, 1998. Favre set an NFL record for touchdown pass differential at the end of his tenth season as a starter by tossing 287 touchdown passes, more than 100 more than the next-ranked quarterback during the same time span (Steve Young, 181 touchdown passes). Over the following several seasons, Favre and the Packers kept having success. Despite having an 8-8 record under head coach Ray Rhodes, a 9-7 season under head coach Mike Sherman, and no postseason appearances in either 1999 or 2000, the Packers held the longest string of unbeaten seasons in the NFL (13) until the 2004 campaign. The run came to an end in 2005, when the Packers finished 4-12.

Favre had a below-average season in 2005, tossing over 3,000 yards for a record 14th straight season while also leading the league with a league-high 29 interceptions.

Favre and the club were hindered by the departure of guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle to free agency as well as significant injuries to Javon Walker, Ahman Green, and Bubba Franks, among others.

His passing rating of 70.9 was the lowest of his career and ranked 31st in the NFL.

Many people believed that Favre would leave the sport after the poor season.

On April 26, 2006, Favre made the decision to stay with the team for the 2006 campaign.

In Week 1 of the 2006 season, Favre's first career shutout against the Chicago Bears resulted in a 26-0 loss. Later in the season, the New England Patriots defeated the Packers in a game in which he suffered an injury before halftime and was unable to finish.

He just became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 touchdowns on September 24. (Dan Marino being the first). He accomplished 5,000 passes in his career, becoming the first athlete to ever do so. The Packers played their last game of the season on December 31, 2006, defeating the Chicago Bears 26-7 in the second game. He now has a 22-8 overall record after winning his 22nd game in a row over the Bears. The Packers concluded the 2006 season with an 8-8 record, while Favre finished the year with 3,885 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.

Favre's milestone 2007 season culminated with his selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl as the starting quarterback for the NFC, but an ankle injury forced him to withdraw from the game. In March 2008, Favre made his retirement formally known. Favre finally joined the Packers during training camp that year after formally filing for reinstatement with the NFL, despite reports that he was in contact with the team in July of that year. However, Favre and the Packers' leadership ultimately decided that it would be best if they cut ties. In August 2008, after discussions with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Packers traded Brett Favre to the New York Jets.

New York Jets (2008)

On August 7, 2008, the Packers sent quarterback Brett Favre to the Jets for a conditional fourth-round choice in the 2009 NFL Draft with performance escalation. Despite a strong start with the Jets, they lost four of their final five games of the season, and Favre threw eight interceptions in those five contests. In addition, he had a torn biceps tendon. According to information released in September 2009, the NFL penalized the Jets $125,000 for failing to disclose Favre's arm injury in any of the team's last five games despite knowing that it occurred in the 11th game of the 2008 campaign. After playing professionally in the NFL for 18 seasons, Favre then formally notified the Jets off his retirement.

Minnesota Vikings (2009-2010)

However, once again Favre made a return to the game after announcing his retirement when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in August 2009 after an offseason. He performed well with the Vikings, leading them to a 12-4 finish, and he also surpassed the passing yards record previously set by Joe Montana. On January 17, 2011, Favre officially filed his retirement papers with the NFL.

Brett Favre Awards and Honors

Awards

Brett Favre Records

• Most consecutive games started "Iron Man" streak (September 27, 1992 – December 5, 2010): 297 (321 including playoffs)

• Most pass interceptions: 336

• Only quarterback to win three consecutive NFL most valuable player awards

• First quarterback to defeat all of the league's 32 franchises

• First quarterback to win a playoff game over age 40

• Most successful cold-weather quarterback of all time (A record of 44–17 in games when the game-time temperature was below 40 degrees fahrenheit)

Brett Favre Super Bowl wins

He helped the Packers to a Super Bowl victory (1997) which was their first Super Bowl appearance and victory in 29 years. His Super Bowl win came with the Green Bay Packers in 1997 (Super Bowl XXXI). He made a then-Super Bowl record touchdown pass of 81 yards to wide receiver Antonio Freeman.

Read more about Brett Favre’s Super Bowl wins here

Brett Favre's Net Worth

Brett Favre’s illustrious 20-year career as one of the best quarterbacks in the league and other endeavors apart from the sport have accumulated a net worth of $100 million. Brett has made millions of dollars through a number of sponsorships both during and after his NFL career.

Prilosec, Foot Locker, MasterCard, Nike, and Wrangler Jeans are a few notable endorsement partners. At the height of his playing career, he made $7-9 million annually, which occasionally resulted in an annual total revenue of $15–18 million.

Get an in depth look into Brett Favre’s Net Worth, here

Brett Favre Contract

Brett Favre had a number of contracts in his career. He signed the most expensive contract with the Green Bay Packers in 2001, worth $101.5 million, which kept him with the franchise till 2010. His last contract in the NFL was with the Minnesota Vikings, which he signed in 2010, worth $16 million.

Brett Favre Family

Brett Favre has been married to his wife, Deanna Tynes since 1996. Brittany and Breleigh, their two children, were born in 1989 and 1990, respectively (born 1999). When his daughter Brittany gave birth to his first grandchild while Favre was still playing in the NFL, he became the first active player with grandkids.