Greener pastures for Favre?

This morning it hit me - for the first time since 1992 Brett Favre will not suit up for the Green Bay Packers.

Yes, he "retired" in March, but the drama of the past few weeks had led me to believe - quite incorrectly - that he would be back with the Pack in 2008. I wrote as much a couple of days ago, going so far as to predict that Favre's return to the team would mean the end of the Aaron Rodgers era before it even got started. I was very wrong and apologies to Mr. Rodgers for that speculation.

Now that Favre is a Jet, I'd like to analyze the deal and what it means for all parties involved.

1. For the Jets:
They get a quarterback who is a proven winner and has a big arm. In recent days, Favre has seemed motivated to play this season, and the Jets restocked their lines during free agency. Much talk since the deal was reported has centered on their playoff possibilities.
Now the bad news. Favre will be 39 in October, he has a history of struggling in New York, and he not only must learn a new offense, but he has to adjust to a completely new set of teammates, and he goes from the NFL's smallest market to the center of its media universe.

For Favre:
He gets his wish. He is out of Green Bay and gets to play football this season. However, he can't be happy with how all of this has unfolded. If anything it's short-term relief, at least until he discovers that the Jets' receiving core is not nearly as talented as the one he left, and the media glare in the Big Apple is 10 times brighter than in Wisconsin. He will help the Jets, but he left a far more talented team.
His desire to "stick it" to the Packers this season could only be accomplished in the Super Bowl, something I view as highly unlikely for either team at this point.

For the Packers:
General Manager Ted Thompson and Coach Mike McCarthy will be judged, fair or not, by whether Aaron Rodgers can not only return the Packers to the playoffs but win some games. And Favre's success or lack thereof in New York also factors into it. Thompson has stakes his career on this. But is it fair to judge him on this alone? Yes, he didn't show much flexibility or compassion, but since he arrived in Wisconsin as GM he has had a single-minded approach to build a longterm winner. The Packers' depth and talent levels have improved dramatically the past two seasons, and if Rodgers pans out (or one of the rookie QBs behind him does), Green Bay should be a playoff team for years to come. ...
McCarthy is the one person in this entire process who impressed me. He stood in the middle of the storm day after day, answered questions honestly, he had the fortitude to ask Favre the tough questions without being threatening about it, and he kept the well-being of his team ahead of the well-being of one player. ...
The Packers also gain a conditional draft choice that should at least turn into a third-rounder, and if the Jets reach the playoffs and Favre plays more than three quarters of their offensive snaps (not a stretch), could become a second. That is a decent return for a player whose career was thought to be over five months ago. ...
For the Packers players, especially Rodgers, this is closure. They can return to the business of preparing for the upcoming season, which really is what training camp should be all about.

For the rest of the league:
The NFL couldn't be happier to have both a Super Bowl Champion and the league's most recognizable player both in New York City. And I would not be shocked if the league itself played a role in facilitating this deal given the commissioner's early involvement with Favre and the Packers. Yes, conspiracy theory, but it wouldn't surprise me given how all of this has played out. ...
The AFC East becomes a bit more interesting, though I question whether the Jets will challenge the Patriots for the division title. The Jets are helped by an easy schedule, but anything more than a 9-7 record would shock me. I don't know if 9-7 gets New York into the AFC playoffs or not. ...
The NFC North will be more competitive as well. However, it should be noted the Packers lost to the Bears twice with Favre last season, and the Vikings still have question marks at quarterback and in the secondary.