Vikings fans can rejoice: Brett Favre to retire

Brett Favre, the consensus hall-of-fame quarterback of the hated Green Bay Packers, will retire from football two months after leading his team to the NFC championship game.

“I know I can still play, but it’s like I told my wife, I’m just tired mentally. I’m just tired,” Favre said, according to a report from ESPN.

The 17-year veteran holds several career NFL passing records, including most passing yards, most touchdown passes, most wins by a starting quarterback, most consecutive starts by a quarterback, and most interceptions thrown. He led the Packers to the franchise’s third Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXI.

Favre has weighed retirement each of the past two seasons, and KFAN has reported that he reached his breaking point this offseason when the Packers chose not to pursue free-agent wide receiver Randy Moss. According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Favre’s agent, James “Bus” Cook, said that Favre was willing to play one more year, but added, “I don’t know if [the Packers] told him they really wanted him to play. That’s just the feeling I got.”

Favre was named NFL Most Valuable Player in 1995, 1996, and 1997, was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times, including this season. He is also a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1990s.

Favre will be succeeded at starting quarterback by Aaron Rodgers, who was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2005 draft.  The fourth-year player out of Cal has seen minimal action during his career. In 2007, he was threw for 218 yards and one touchdown.