Thompson, Rodgers welcome Favre reunion
Ted Thompson and Aaron Rodgers were at the forefront of Brett Favre's messy separation from the Green Bay Packers in 2008 and lived to tell the tale.
If Rodgers hadn't delivered as Favre's heir apparent, both he and Thompson never would have lived it down. Jobs would have been thrown into jeopardy.
However, the Packers' general manager struck gold in the former first-round pick, who has developed into one of the league's top quarterbacks and the face of the franchise. Meanwhile, the relationship with Favre has gradually improved as he and Rodgers appeared on stage together at the NFL honors program in 2013.
The mend between the organization and the three-time MVP quarterback continued this week with the announcement Favre will be inducted in the Packers' Hall of Fame and have his No. 4 jersey retired in 2015.
When asked about it Wednesday, both Thompson and Rodgers voiced their approval in the decision to bring Favre back into the fold.
"I've kind of been on the forefront of getting this thing done, you know, in my own way," Rodgers said. "I wanted to make sure my voice was out there and behind Brett coming back. I think it's important to bring him back into the fold. It was a great thing to be able to announce that and retire his number and put his number in the Packer Hall of Fame, which is obvious – of course it's going to happen. He's one of the greatest Packers of all-time and one of the greatest NFL players of all-time. It's good to get him back here and hopefully get him here in the fall, as well."
Thompson was working in Ron Wolf's personnel department when Favre was acquired from Atlanta in 1992 for a first-round pick. While the quarterback's departure was muddled, Thompson never lost sight of his accomplishments.
It's those same accomplishments he'll be honored for during his induction next summer.
"Well, I mean what he's done for this place is remarkable," Thompson said. "We sort of grew up with the Packers. And, he's a good guy, great football player and good teammate. Like I say, we're just, we're happy all that other stuff is kind of been put aside, and let's go forward with the relationship."
