Brett Favre’s advice to Aaron Rodgers: ‘You don’t want to go out this way’

GREEN BAY » Brett Favre would like nothing more to see his quarterbacking successor and good buddy Aaron Rodgers do something that Favre himself couldn’t: Win a second Super Bowl title in a Green Bay Packers uniform.

But given the level of acrimony he sees between the organization and Rodgers — a familiar feeling, having been there himself in 2008 before being traded to the New York Jets — Favre isn’t betting on there being a happy ending here with Rodgers holding another Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft.

Speaking during a 45-minute interview on ESPN Wisconsin’s “Wilde & Tausch” Wednesday morning, Favre shared that he and Rodgers exchanged text messages after news of Rodgers’ unhappiness with general manager Brian Gutekunst and the organization came to light last Thursday, a few hours before the 2021 NFL Draft kicked off.

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The iMessage conversation didn’t exactly make Favre optimistic that Rodgers and the team will reconcile.

“I think I know Aaron fairly well, and honestly I just don’t see

him coming back and just saying, ‘All right, let’s just bury the hatchet, whatever caused the rift, and I’m just going to come back and play because I love the guys, I love the Green Bay fans,’” Favre said. “His rift isn’t with the fans or the players. It’s with the front office. Will he just swallow his pride and come in? Maybe. But I don’t see that happening.

“If there’s not a trade, my gut tells me that he’d rather sit out than play. That’s just my gut. There’s no reason for me to say that other than that’s what my gut’s telling me, and I think you guys know Aaron fairly well enough to sort of feel the same way.”

Later, Favre added, “It’s going to be interesting what takes place here between now and the start of camp. But right now, I’m not very optimistic.”

Favre said he started getting texts from friends and family after ESPN reported what had long been known behind the scenes — that Rodgers had been unhappy the team since even before the Packers’ season-ending NFC Championship Game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.