Packers Talked To Cowboys About Brett Favre Trade

The Green Bay Packers traded quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets in August of 2008. If you believe former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, he was almost dealt to the Cowboys two years earlier.

Romo told Ed Werder the Cowboys discussed a deal for Favre with the Packers, but it was nixed when Green Bay asked for Romo to be included.

… the Cowboys had had an interest in trading for Favre late in his career when he was available, [Bill] Parcells was the coach.

I said, “Oh yea, I kind of heard that.”

And he said, “Well you know, the deal went dead when the Packers asked for me to be in the trade.”

This would put us in 2006, the final year Parcells coached the Cowboys and year after the Packers had drafted Aaron Rodgers.

Favre was coming off what many would call the worst season of his career. He had thrown 20 touchdowns and chucked 29 picks, while the Packers finished 4-12.

Perhaps more noteworthy, Ted Thompson was entering his second year as general manager of the Packers. Rodgers was his pick and he had no allegiance to the 36-year-old Favre.

Romo, meanwhile, hadn’t started a game yet.

There are a number of interesting asides here.

First, Romo was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys in 2004. Andrew Brandt, who then worked in the Packers’ front office, asked then coach/GM Mike Sherman if he wanted to sign Romo. He didn’t and considering Romo is from Wisconsin, he likely would have signed with the Packers if given the chance.

Two years later, Thompson is trying to trade for Romo.

Second, what if that trade had gone through?

As Bob McGinn bitterly pointed out, Rodgers wasn’t ready to start early on. McGinn claims Rodgers was lucky to have sat behind Favre for three years.

Third, what if Rodgers and Romo were on the same team? Would anyone outside of Green Bay ever have heard of Tony Romo? Would it have been a situation like having both Joe Montana and Steve Young, as the 49ers did for a number of years? Or would Romo have taken over for Rodgers because, as McGinn claims, Rodgers wasn’t ready and Rodgers then turns out to be a bust?

I guess we’re lucky not to have had to deal with that final scenario. Instead, the Packers have just had 20-plus years of great quarterback play interrupted by only the occasional dalliance with Matt Flynn.