What in the world is going on?

Can someone explain to me why in the world Brett Farve is about to leave the Green Bay Packers? Better yet, why on earth would Packers even be considering trading him or releasing him? Why would two groups be so amazingly intent on acting against their own best interest (particularly the Packers franchise)?

The Greenbay Packers were a field goal away from making the Super Bowl last season. Anyone who watched the Giants vs. Packers NFC championship game knows that Green Bay could have easily won that game. Last season Brett Farve had one of the best seasons of his career. In fact, he seemed to have toned down his gun slinging style and made smarter decisions in the passing game. On top of that, the man that Green Bay has slated to replace Farve has no real NFL experience. So, logic would dictate that the Packers would be thrilled to have Brett Farve back even if he jerked them around during the off-season for the third year in a row. Why would you want an inexperienced QB to take over a Super Bowl contender when you could have one of the all-time great QBs (who can still play at a high level) comeback and lead your team to promise land? Especially when the QB coming back is a SUPERSTAR, beloved by fans around the league (especially your own), and is the franchise's future ambassador. This may sound cras, but there is still a ton of money to made off Brett Farve even after he retires. It is certainly in the Packers' overwhelming, financial interest to maintain a good relationship with Farve.

There are only two reasons I can think of that might have led the Packers to not welcome back Brett Farve with a parade. The first is that the Packers coaches and management believe that Aaron Rodgers (the young back up) is going to be something special and they want to stop paying him big dollars to sit on the bench and have him as their starter for at least a couple years before he becomes a free agent. I highly doubt that this is Packers' true motivation for their rejection of Brett Farve's comeback. Being this close to a Super Bowl, you don't turn the reigns over to an inexperienced QB if you don't have to. The window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl in the NFL is so small, it trumps all other considerations.

The second is that the Packers' coaches and management were so tired of the will he/won't he come back roller coaster (a roller coaster they've been on for the last three off-seasons) that they did not receive the news of Farve's comeback with the appropriate excitement. Which in turn, offended Farve and set off a PR battle between Farve and Packers that made their relationship unworkable. This is the scenario that I think really unfolded because when a franchise acts against it's own perceived best interests it's generally because there are underlying political/personal tensions that push the franchise to take an unexpected course of action.

While I sympathize with Packers management and coaches feeling that Brett Farve was holding their team hostage for the third season in a row, they still made the wrong decision not welcoming Farve back with open arms. I believe they will particularly regret this decision if Farve somehow ends up on a team in their division. I respect that coaches and management have to draw the line and assert their authority so that players aren't the ones calling the shots. Unfortunately for the Packers there are some players in pro sports that are bigger than the coaches, management, and the rest of the team combined and Brett Farve is one of those players.