CLEVELAND — Brett Favre held up his new green jersey, hoping he made the right decision.
“To a certain degree, I don’t know what I’m getting into,” he said.
Favre’s summertime soap opera ended Wednesday night when the Green Bay Packers traded their iconic quarterback after 16 seasons to the New York Jets, who haven’t had a star of No. 4’s stature since the days Joe Namath was slinging passes.
“I’m here for one reason. Not to do commercials, Broadway all those things,” Favre said Thursday after joining New York for its exhibition opener in Cleveland. “I’m here to help the Jets win.”
It’s not certain when the three-time MVP will be ready to play. But he assured it will be soon.
“I’m a little out of shape, compared to the other guys,” said Favre, who winked while saying he looked forward to his first conditioning test with the Jets. “The last 24 hours have been crazy. This offseason has been bizarre. But I’m excited by this opportunity.”
Five months after a tearful goodbye to a Hall of Fame career, Favre, who won a Super Bowl title and set all sorts of records in 16 seasons before his acrimonious split with the Packers, is starting over.
He’s now part of a Jets team which went 4-12 last season and has been reduced to second-stringer status in New York behind the Super Bowl champion Giants.
Before the Jets received the opening kickoff, Favre and his new backup, Kellen Clemens, talked briefly on the sideline. Favre clutched a card containing New York’s offensive sets and after each snap, he discussed what transpired with quarterback Brett Ratliff, who in an instant went from raw rookie to teaching one of the game’s greats.
Favre is eager to put his messy breakup with Green Bay behind him and so, too, are the Packers.
“It’s like a marriage that ends,” Green Bay president Mark Murphy said. “It happens. Neither party is at fault.”
It only took a minute for him to be a hit in New York.
Already, his jersey is being scooped up by Jets fans who awakened Thursday morning to the news that the Mississippi country boy with the cannon right arm is on his way to the big city and its bright lights.
Told that 3,000 new jerseys had been sold online, he joked, “That’s all?”
Until the deal was announced, it appeared the 38-year-old might be on his way to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Jets, who went to camp with Chad Pennington and Clemens battling to be the starter, persisted and landed Favre for a fourth-round draft pick in 2009.
Pennington, benched midway through last season, was released Thursday afternoon.
“I always wanted to be a Packer and I think I always will be a Packer,” he said. “I’m not a traitor, never will be. It’s business. It’s the way it works. I gave everything I could possibly give. I hope the Jets fans see the same thing.”
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