Thanks '4' the memories, but it's either retirement or the AFC

The reason in a nutshell is that you have to start looking into the future.

I've heard from some of the hundreds of pundits who have weighed in, 'Who gives you a better chance to win?' They all seem to agree that it's Favre.

I'm not completely sure that's true—see his 2005 and 2006 performances. But even with the assumption that the 2008 Packers would be better with No. 4, I'd argue that if they don't think he can get them to the Super Bowl it's smarter to start the Aaron Rodgers era now.

The Packers will have growing pains no matter when it starts and you might as well start now when the team is pretty good and the division is this bad.

If Favre comes back and is handed the reins, you can forget about the Rodgers era, because he'll need to be traded.

From what I've read and heard about Rodgers and his teammates, he has been a different individual this offseason. He's been more confident, he's shown more leadership qualities, and if he's sent back to the bench, all that gets sidelined with him.

His confidence and likely his trust in the organization is shot, not to mention that his progression as an NFL quarterback is set back another year. At some point, a quarterback ceases to learn anything while watching from the sideline.

At that point the Packers would have to trade Rodgers and start grooming Brian Brohm as the heir apparent. Of course, Favre's not going to be willing to help Brohm, and unless Favre announces his retirement on a stretcher, there's no way Brohm could feel safe after being announced as the starter.

So the Packers bring back Favre. Now they might win another division title, lose in the playoffs because Favre can no longer handle the pressure unless he's playing Seattle, then enjoy his maybe-I-am-maybe-I'm-not retiring party again next spring, and then for the next few seasons Packer fans get a trip back to the 1980s when the team was awful.

So if you don't want Favre the obvious question is what do you do with him?

Certainly Thompson can't release him and let him go to Chicago or Minnesota. Not because he's great anymore, but because a blind monkey is better than the Grossman/Orton combo or Tavaris Jackson.

So Favre would improve either team thus making two more games more difficult.

Instead, the team should trade Favre to an AFC team or a non-competitive NFC team and not have to suffer the short-term consequences while improving the team's long-term possibilities.

While Thompson could wait out Favre and probably force him to stay retired, that also doesn't do the team any good. He should get rid of the drama and all the distractions now before training camp starts and this corrupts the locker room and leaves the starting quarterback constantly looking over his shoulder.