You won’t find many people who think the Green Bay Packers would be better off without Brett Favre at quarterback. But general manager Ted Thompson is obviously one of those people, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.
The former linebacker developed his front-office chops in Seattle at the feet of Paul Holmgren. He and Favre have been at odds ever since Thompson joined the Packers in 2005 and cut offensive linemen Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera for salary-cap purposes. It was a smart move – Green Bay’s offensive line recovered quickly and gave Favre the best pass protection in the league last year.
Then there was the matter of drafting QB Aaron Rodgers in the first round. He was a steal with the No. 24 pick after two successful seasons at Cal under coach Jeff Tedford. At $680,000 this year plus incentives if he starts, Rodgers is both good and cheap – a winning combination under the cap.