Apparently a whole lot for Darrelle Revis, as the new Buccaneers cornerback shelled out quite the pretty penny in order to wear his precious No. 24 this season.

The number had belonged to Mark Barron, a safety Tampa Bay drafted seventh overall in 2012, until Revis paid him $50,000 to part with it, according to Uni Watch’s Paul Lukas. Revis has worn No. 24 throughout his NFL career with the Jets after sporting No. 25 during his college days at the University of Pittsburgh.

Negotiating for uni numbers is nothing new (new Patriots defensive back Adrian Wilson actually made a deal for the same No. 24 upon arriving in New England, trading Kyle Arrington a year’s supply of diapers for it), but most players don’t resort to throwing down quite as much as Revis did.

Either Barron is master salesman, or the offseason’s marquee free-agent acquisition simply thought he wouldn’t miss $50,000 out of the $96 million the Bucs are scheduled to pay him over the next six years.

Photo via Facebook/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Photo of the night

Mother Nature was in attendance at Fenway Park on Tuesday.

Tweet of the night

Boom. Roasted.

Sir Michael Miller just got Knighted. Brandon Knighted.

—
Jim Rome (@jimrome) June 19, 2013

Video of the night (GIF Edition)

Forget corked bats, Evan Gattis is going straight Styrofoam.

GIF via Cut4

]]> http://nesn.com/2013/06/darrelle-revis-pays-buccaneers-safety-mark-barron-50000-for-jersey-no-24/feed/ 0 Darrelle Revis nesnzcox Darrelle Revis David Ortiz Evan Gattis http://nesn.com/2013/06/steve-gleason-accepts-fired-radio-hosts-apologies-after-insensitive-jokes/ http://nesn.com/2013/06/steve-gleason-accepts-fired-radio-hosts-apologies-after-insensitive-jokes/#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:34:41 +0000 Zack Cox http://nesn.com/?p=193513 ]]> Punishment came swiftly for three Atlanta sports radio hosts that dedicated a segment of their morning show to making fun of former New Orleans Saints captain Steve Gleason, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as ALS).

Steak Shapiro, Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino were roundly denounced in the media after their offensive jokes on 790 The Zone’s Mayhem in the AM show, and the station cut ties with all three shortly thereafter. 

The hosts have since apologized for their remarks, which Gleason has “received and accepted.” In a post on the Facebook page for his Team Gleason foundation, the 36-year-old, who played eight seasons in the NFL, wrote that he hopes this incident will raise public awareness for ALS, a disease that many do not fully understand.

See Gleason’s full response below.

Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Steve Gleason

Arian Foster

After signing his five-year, $43 million contract in 2012, securing his football future, Foster decided to try his hand in the music industry. So, he partnered up with Houston-based rapper and friend Bun B, formerly of the group UGK, to get in the studio and start recording music.

“After he got his extension, he was like, ‘Man, I got some things — I just want to finally take a deep breath,’” Bun B said on the Texans’ “Off the Turf with Scurf” podcast. “He doesn’t really make music that he feels like he needs to put out a mix tape or make an album or feel like he needs to share or any of that kind of thing. It’s kind of more of a release for him because he does rapping as well as spoken word, as well as poetry. He’s very well-read, and he’s very well-written, as well. We just get together and just make music, not for commercial release but just for cultural expression.”

Unlike so many athletes before him, Foster’s rap career is strictly for his own personal enjoyment rather than the potential riches that the likes of Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and even Deion Sanders pursued in the past. The other thing that sets Foster apart from his athlete-turned-rapper predecessors? He’s apparently “”really good,” according to Bun B.

“I remember we were at Connor [Barwin's] going-away party, and he and Andre [Johnson] were talking about him rapping and he’s like, ‘Bun, tell this man I can rap, yo. Tell this dude I can rap.’ I’m telling him like, ‘Dre, he can go.’ Dre’s like, ‘Alright,’ I’m like, ‘No, he’s actually really good, ‘Dre. You’ll have to come check him out.’ So ‘Dre was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to check him out.’ Now, I don’t know how much rapping he does in the locker room. I don’t know if those guys are even listening to him doing any of that. It’s just funny, man. He’s really proud of what he can do, and he should be.”

So, Foster might not be planning to drop his debut album anytime soon, but you can be sure when he does it will be a must-listen.

Have a question for Luke Hughes? Send it to him via Twitter at @LukeFHughes or send it here.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers signed a five-year, $110 million contract extension in the offseason, making him a very rich man and keeping him in Green Bay through at least the 2019 season. Some of his former Packers teammates weren’t so lucky, as the team went through something of a roster overhaul this spring, which gave Rodgers a bit of a reality check.

“When they’re cutting guys like Charles Woodson, and not bringing back Greg [Jennings], who’s played a long time here, guys who had big roles for us, it has to be a wake-up call to some of our guys that this is about, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ and ‘What can you do for me?’” Rodgers said in an interview with ESPN Wisconsin. “That’s the type of league that we’re in. That’s how our team looks at us. So you better perform, or you’re going to be looking for a job elsewhere.”

Losing leaders like Woodson and Jennings will be tough on the Pack as they look to contend for another Super Bowl, but understanding the rough road ahead may motivate Rodgers to take an even more active role as the team’s go-to leader going forward.

Have a question for Luke Hughes? Send it to him via Twitter at @LukeFHughes or send it here.

A scout from an unnamed NFL team called Beckham last fall and offered him a chance to try out for the team as a kicker. The former England captain declined the invitation, according to the Mirror.

“A couple of scouts felt that David has the potential to become a kicker in the NFL team, and one actually put a call into him for a trial,” a source told the Mirror.

“It is no secret that David is one of the best in the business when it comes to accuracy and length in his passing. And he has stood on the greatest stages to perform magnificent feats with his feet.

“Major league [NFL] kickers can send the ball 40 yards straight — David has shown for the last 15 years he can do that week in week out.

“It was obvious too that if Becks took up the offer then any NFL franchise would be interested as his international appeal would generate billions in PR and commercial opportunities.

“The offer came in and he politely said that it wasn’t right for him. Perhaps in the next few months he could change his mind.”

At the time, Beckham was mapping out the final stages of his illustrious soccer career. He left the L.A. Galaxy in December and joined French club Paris Saint-German in February. His three-month swansong in European soccer saw him win a Ligue 1 (French first division) title, participate in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League and bid the game a tearful goodbye in his final appearance as a professional player.

Beckham scored 65 free-kick goals in his career, but that ability wouldn’t necessarily translate to gridiron success. He honed his world-famous technique over the years using soccer balls. How quickly he would adapt to a new ball, target, sport and surroundings is unknown. While NFL teams would love the international exposure and marketing opportunities Beckham’s presence would create, their primary business is winning football games.

Beckham will remain a busy man in his post-playing days. He serves as a global ambassador for China’s Super League (where he created some doubt over his kicking ability). He is in talks to buy a Major League Soccer expansion team, which would play in Miami, and Tom Cruise wants him to consider starring in action movies.

If those activities don’t quench Beckham’s thirst for life then, by all means, he should look into American football. He also should remember Ray Finkle, whose story showed us the dark side of life as an NFL kicker.

Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer, NESN Soccer’s Facebook page or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

That’s the boat that former NFL receiver Chad Johnson is in. Despite getting a break this week when he got out of a 30-day jail sentence early, Johnson has other issues to deal with, according to TMZ.

Johnson is spending a lot of money for a now-unemployed wide receiver — $45,982.76 a month, TMZ reports.

That figure includes $16,000 in child support payments and about $9,000 a month for his mortgage. As far as the “feeding your family” argument goes, that all makes sense.

But TMZ also reports that Johnson is only making $3,000 a month (no word where that’s coming from), and his, ahem, optional expenses range a bit beyond that. Johnson is spending $2,500 on food, $2,650 on car expenses, $3,500 on clothes, $5,000 on entertainment, $1,000 on his pets and $250 on personal grooming, according to TMZ.

Johnson still has $4.7 million to his name, though, according to TMZ. Busting out the calculators, that means Johnson can make it another century, even if he does shell out 46 grand a month.

Well done, Chad Johnson. Well done.

Photo via Facebook/America’s Football Page

Photo of the Day

Tuukka Rask was also working on his chop blocks Monday night.

Tweet of the Day

Also, this.

Tuukka Rask has allowed no more than one goal in each of the @NHLBruins last eight postseason wins. #StanleyCup

—
  (@NHL) June 18, 2013

Video of the Day

Ryan Howard, fulfilling birthday wishes.

The wide receiver was released from jail Monday after seven days behind bars. Johnson’s original 30-day sentence stemmed from an incident where Johnson patted his lawyer’s backside in a court appearance, and Judge Kathleen McHugh did not take kindly to Johnson making a mockery of her courtroom. Johnson was released early thanks to an apology he issued to McHugh.

Upon Johnson’s release from jail — where he was visited by fellow free agent Terrell Owens — he acknowledged that the stint gave him time to slow down and think about where his life was headed. He even went as far as to say that he loves McHugh “to death” for putting him in the position to turn his life around.

Hear what else the contrite Johnson had to say in the video below.

Atlanta radio station 790 The Zone’s Mayhem in the AM hosts Steak Shapiro, Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino were fired on Tuesday, after the show aired a segment mocking former Saints captain Steve Gleason. Gleason, who has ALS, wrote Peter King‘s Monday Morning Quarterback column using technology that allows him to communicate only by moving his eyes.

The Mayhem in the AM crew apparently found something funny about Gleason’s debilitating disease and its symptoms, so they had Cellini call into the show pretending to be Gleason. The trio exchanged crude jokes, including one in which they suggest Gleason would welcome death.

Cellini quickly apologized on his Twitter account for the segment. 790 The Zone followed up with an apology of its own and announced that the hosts had been suspended indefinitely. Later, they updated that statement to indicate the hosts had been fired.

“We deeply regret the offensive programming that aired this morning on Mayhem In The AM on 790 The Zone, related to former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS,” the station wrote in a statement. “We suspended the three individuals involved immediately following their comments and have since terminated their employment. 790 The Zone, our owners, sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Gleason, his family and all those touched by ALS.”

Listen to the segment in the player below, courtesy of Deadspin.

Those interested can donate to ALS research in Gleason’s name at TeamGleason.org.

Photo via Facebook/Team Gleason

Photo of the Night

Cool banner. Maybe there will be a different, newer one hanging up soon.

Photo via Twitter/@MikeColeNESN

Tweet of the Night

I’ll have what he’s having.

Quote of the year, from Leyland: "Machado leads the league in doubles. I'm second in doubles -- double vodkas, double scotches ... "

—
Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 17, 2013

Video of the Night

To be fair, Nate Robinson has defied physics for a while now.

Johnson, whose playful slap of his lawyer’s backside landed him behind bars, had his prison sentence trimmed to seven days and was released after a hearing on Monday, according to The Associated Press.

The man formerly known as Ochocinco offered Broward County, Fla., Jude Kathleen McHugh, who slapped him with the sentence in the first place, a heartfelt apology during the hearing, which was the reason behind his release.

Johnson’s initial court appearance was a result of a probation violation, stemming from his altercation with ex-wife Evelyn Lozada.

Johnson hasn’t played in the NFL since a stint with the Patriots in 2011. He was released by the Dolphins during training camp last season.

Aside from the dismal 6-10 season, complete front office revamp and utter destruction of what little confidence Mark Sanchez had left already — not to mention Tebow is currently on the arch-rival New England Patriots’ roster — the Jets still have more to pay for their failed investment.

The Jets won’t be paying Tebow any money directly this season, but they still owe the Denver Broncos, who dealt him to New York last offseason, upwards of $1.53 million — money advanced to Tebow from the Broncos in 2011 — to complete the deal.

What’s more, the Patriots will pay less than that for Tebow’s services, if he makes the final roster of course, over two seasons than the Jets will this year alone. The Patriots signed Tebow to a two-year deal worth a total of $1.36 million, with zero guaranteed money, last week.

So, he could feasibly make the final roster and sit on the Patriots’ bench for the next two seasons, wearing a headset and helping Tom Brady stay loose, and Bill Belichick can smile a big hoodie smile at Rex Ryan knowing he’s beaten the Jets yet again.

And, for Belichick, that might be reason enough to keep Tebow around.

Have a question for Luke Hughes? Send it to him via Twitter at @LukeFHughes or send it here.

The Norman Rockwell-like image of a father teaching his son how to grip a bat or toss a spiral extends all the way to the professional leagues, where plenty of players can look back on a father’s influence in helping them develop as athletes.

But just because someone’s father reached the top of his sport doesn’t mean that the son is guaranteed the same success. Many sons of famous athletes have to deal with the extra expectations that come with their fathers being sports legends.

Throughout history, though, a few sons have to risen to the same prominence as their fathers, etching their own name in sports without upstaging the cachet that their fathers’ names still hold. See who made our list of the best father-son duos in sports history.

Click here to see the Top 10 father-son sports duos >>

Johnson is currently residing in Broward County jail, serving a 30-day sentence for a probation violation revolving around an altercation involving his ex-wife, Evelyn Lozada. Johnson was originally going to get off without a jail term, but after patting his attorney on the backside during a court hearing, a judge basically gave him the jail stint for insubordination.

As of Sunday, Johnson still has 24 days to go on his sentence, but at least Owens stopped by to say hello. Who knows what they talked about, but the pair are both former star wide receivers in the NFL who are still not yet retired, and both hoping for (very unlikely) comebacks.

The overlooked story in all of this? The deplorable conditions for inmates’ hair while in custody. Check out Owens’ tweets about his visit with Johnson below.

Just visited the homie @ochocinco. He's in good spirits, he needs a haircut already tho. Lol. He sends his best regards to everyone.

—
Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) June 15, 2013

That was the 1st time ever visiting someone in jail & hopefully the last. That's not a place anyone wants to be regardless of how many days.

—
Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) June 15, 2013

I really didn't know what to expect but to see the homie locked up is a very humbling experience, to talk to him via vid conference let me

—
Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) June 15, 2013

know that's not where anyone wants to be. I know he's only in the county jail but to someone that has never been locked up...Jail is Jail!

—
Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) June 15, 2013

As first reported by the Philadelphia Daily News, the Bengals are set to be the featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks, the hit sports reality show that offers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of training camp, for its upcoming season. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that an official announcement will be made sometime next week by HBO and the NFL.

This will be the second time in the last five years that the Bengals will appear on the show, the first being in 2009, as the team, then led by quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad Johnson, went 10-6 and won the AFC North title. The Bengals will look for similar fortune this year led by quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. It will be the third time that head coach Marvin Lewis appears on the show.

Other teams that have been featured on the show in past seasons are the Dolphins (2012), Jets (2010), Cowboys (2008, 2002), Chiefs (2007) and Ravens (2001). The Enquirer reported that one other team had serious interest in being featured on the show for this season, but didn’t name them.

Now, Barney is going a step further, saying he doesn’t think the sport will even exist in 20 years due to its violent nature, according to The Associated Press.

”The game is becoming more deadly today,” Barney said at Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy. ”It’s a great game. I think it’s the greatest game if you like gladiators. It’s the greatest game for yesteryear’s gladiators. But I can see in the next 10 to maybe 20 years, society will alleviate football altogether.”

Coincidentally, camp co-founder Curtis Blackwell plans to conduct neurological tests on about 600 high school players this week in an attempt to determine a baseline for cognitive function if they should sustain head injuries in the future. Concussion awareness, in general, is part of the camp’s program.

As for Barney, he says that he suffered multiple concussions during his NFL career that were only discovered well after he retired.

”I found out after I was out of the game that I had seven, maybe eight concussions,” he said.

Photo via Twitter/@detpkc

“I’m not exactly happy with that,” Mathis said with a laugh.

The official that made the call? Sarah Thomas, who is on her way toward becoming the first permanent female official in the NFL. It could happen as early as the 2014 season.

“I’m certain I can’t make everybody happy,” Thomas said of that call on Mathis.

Thomas spent three days at the Colts minicamp as part of the NFL’s officiating development program, and league officials say she would be the first woman to reach NFL fields through the program. She’s expected to join the Colts in training camp next month and could call some preseason games this year.

Once completing the development program, Thomas could get a shot at the regular season if a spot becomes available. That wouldn’t happen until a current official retires or leaves the league.

“It’s just something that happened,” said Dean Blandino, the NFL’s vice president of officiating. “She was in our pipeline for a while.”

Last year, Shannon Eastin became the first woman to be an official in both a preseason and regular-season NFL game. She was a line judge in the Rams-Lions season opener, among the replacements hired during the officials’ lockout.

Eastin, who started officiating high school games before moving up to colleges, owns a company called SE Sports Officiating, which trains officials in football and basketball.

Last summer, the NFL Referees Association said Eastin shouldn’t be allowed to work league games because she has been in the World Series of Poker. If Eastin is hired permanently, the NFL’s gambling policy would bar her from participating in such events.

Thomas is an official with Conference USA and has been for the past eight seasons. She still has some steps to take before she can get to the NFL. There are interviews and background checks to be done, and she will be evaluated during any NFL camps and preseason games she handles — as well as during the upcoming college football season.

Just like a player, it’s a big step for an official to go to the next level.

“It’s similar from when a player jumps from college to the NFL,” Blandino said. “Getting used to that type of speed is important.”

Thomas noticed the speed right away at minicamp even when the players run with no pads. It will take some time to get used to. But she said she likes the challenge of officiating. That’s what got her interested in the job of wearing the stripes during football games, even as a high school football official in Mississippi, where she’s called state championship games.

“The speed, yes, is there,” Thomas said. “These are just phenomenal athletes on both sides of the ball. The game has a tendency to slow down the most snaps you get and repetition. So, hopefully, the more snaps I get, things will start slowing down a little bit.”

Thomas shows many of the qualities and traits the NFL looks for in an official. She’s confident and shows a command of where to go and what to do at all times. Having a female involved and the NFL showing its diversity, well, that’s just a bonus.

“It’s always a positive when there’s diversity,” Blandino said.

The veteran tight end, who spent nine days with the Patriots last season, signed a one-year deal with the Jets on Friday after completing a three-day minicamp tryout.

The Jets were stuck with a void at tight end after Dustin Keller left for Miami via free agency, and Winslow proved to Rex Ryan this week that he still has something left.

“It’s been a rough go-round, I guess,” Winslow told USA Today. “This last year, when you can’t control it, you get cut, you get traded, you just can’t control it.

“But I’ll tell you I’m very hungry. I’ve always been hungry. Whenever I step out on the football field, I want to beat my opponent. I just want to help this team and make plays for them.”

Last season was a tumultuous one for the former Miami Hurricane. He was traded to Seattle last May but was waived before the season, reportedly after refusing to take a pay cut. Winslow latched on with the Patriots but appeared in just one game — making one catch for 12 yards against Baltimore in Week 3 — before being released at his own behest.

A rough 2012 was a sharp downgrade from his previous seasons, though. Winslow caught more than 65 passes and gained more than 750 yards five times between 2006 and 2011, earning a Pro Bowl nod as a member of the Browns in 2007.

In New York, he’ll team up with fourth-year pro Jeff Cumberland, who currently sits atop the tight-end depth chart, to attempt to recreate Keller’s production. Cumberland is optimistic of their chances, even comparing himself and Winslow to the highly regarded tight end duo up in Foxboro.

“With my size and his size,” Cumberland told the New York Daily News, “I would be more like [Rob] Gronkowski, he would be more like [Aaron] Hernandez.”

It’ll be a tall order for Winslow and Cumberland to match the production of the two Patriots tight ends, but if Winslow performs anywhere near his potential, he can become a valuable weapon for Mark Sanchez (or whoever ends up winning the Jets’ quarterback job).

Tim Tebow

In New York, Tebow’s arrival meant controversy and chaos, but the Patriots, and Bill Belichick‘s mundane style, tamed that beast before it was even unleashed from its cage. Now, the biggest question for the cult hero is whether he can actually play.

Tebow looked pretty raw during his first few practices with the Patriots, but two days in a new system won’t yield impressive results from any player, nevermind one with such clear mechanical issues. Tebow at least deserves a chance to change perceptions and maybe make the roster, but he is by no means guaranteed a roster spot — nor should he be.

The Patriots only get 53 guys to work on their roster and even fewer on game days. So, while Tebow may be an intriguing project, he shouldn’t take a spot away from someone like rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld or maybe even a veteran like Jeff Tarpinian.

NESN.com’s NFL writers Luke Hughes and Doug Kyed jumped on the podcast to hash out some thoughts on Tebow’s first few days in New England and consider his chances at making the final roster. They also discussed the development of the reworked receiving corps, Brandon Spikes‘ potential future with the team and some other leftover nuggets from the week that was.

So, turn up the volume, kick up your feet and enjoy this week’s Patriots podcast.

Rex Ryan

In fact, the season — one in which the Jets went 6-10 and subsequently cleaned house — may have been fuel to the fire.

“I’m a hell of a lot better football coach than I’m given credit for,” Ryan told Newsday.

Times have quickly changed for Ryan. He led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in his first two seasons as head coach, but the pressure is now greater than ever before as he heads into his fifth year after back-to-back seasons of failing to make the playoffs.

But no matter how far the Jets have fallen, or how close Ryan may have been to getting fired after last season, he continues to view himself in the highest regard.

“I don’t need the credit,” he said. “But I can tell you one thing, when it’s said and done, they’ll look back and say, ‘Oh man, this dude can coach his butt off.’ And you know what? It’s true. And I’ll let the people that know best talk on my behalf about the kind of coach I am.

“I don’t have to brag, even though statistically, I can brag about anything I’ve ever done defensively.”

At least it’s not a Super Bowl guarantee.

Tebow’s popularity has zipped past cult-level status into the reaches of huge celebrity, where those inundated by the popular quarterback’s image can fight back with some creativity of their own. First come the clever tabloid headlines. Next up, apparently, are the T-shirts.

Boston Magazine has a nice roundup of some of the best offerings so far, with one of the most clever being one that puts Tebow’s celebration stance, Tebowing, together with the Patriots’ flying Elvis logo.

Check out the T-shirt, which has sadly been bought off eBay already, in the photo below.

Photo via eBay

Brett Favre

Favre has made efforts recently to put himself back in the good graces of the Packers family, including taking blame for his split with the team. The Packers have also said they want to patch things up. Now Favre, who’s had his share of uncomfortable moments with his heir, NFL MVP and Superbowl-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers, is really being conciliatory.

Favre had high praise for Rodgers when he appeared on Sirius XM NFL radio on Thursday.

“Aaron has played extremely well, probably even better than anyone anticipated, but I knew he was capable of that, and that’s why they drafted him,” Favre said, as reported by Pro Football Talk. “Barring any injury, he’ll shatter everything I ever did there except for maybe [the] consecutive games [streak].”

Rodgers has had very strong numbers so far in his career, and it doesn’t take a math whiz to guess that he could challenge Favre’s marks.

Favre threw 10,169 passes and completed 6,300 of them (62 percent completion rate) for 71,838 yards and 508 touchdowns. He had a 160-93 record in Green Bay, including 253 starts in his 16 seasons with the team.

Rodgers has thrown 2,665 passes and completed 1,752 of them (65.7 percent) for 21,661 yards and 171 touchdowns. He has a 52-26 record so far in 78 starts. He’s played eight seasons in Green Bay but has only been the starter for five of them.

Rodgers has had about a third of the starts that Favre had in his career, meaning that if he continues on his current pace, he’ll come up shy of Favre’s pass and completion totals. His total yards and touchdowns, however, would match or top Favre if Rodgers continues as projected.

Rodgers also has a late start on Favre, since he wasn’t the Packers’ starter until he was 25 (Favre started when he was 23). Favre also played for the Pack until he was 38, which is tough to do as a quarterback.

Favre also spoke Thursday about the circumstances surrounding him leaving Green Bay, when Rodgers took over.

“I understood that they had a young quarterback who had tremendous potential, that they had to find out what he could do,” Favre said. “And, quite frankly, I had probably my best year in 16 years that past season, and there’s two ways to look at that. If you’re in the organization and you’re making decisions, you got to feel like, ‘OK, he had a great year, but he’s probably maxed out.’ That’s kind of what I would have been thinking. Now, obviously my side of it is, ‘I think I can still play.’ The way it went down was not the best of ways, and I think people have learned from it, and, again, I’m over it.”

While Favre’s final season in Green Bay wasn’t statistically his best year, it was still enough to look like jumping to Rodgers would be a leap of faith.

Six years later, though, Rodgers has proved all doubters wrong — including Favre.