Brett Favre told the Orlando Sentinel that he had mentally committed to joining the Buccaneers before last season and approved his trade to the Jets because he was concerned about making his divorce from the Packers worse.
“I knew from a studying standpoint and quick transition that [Tampa Bay] was the best option. Obviously, I knew nothing about the Jets’ offense,” Favre told the paper during ESPN The Weekend at Disney World. “To me, that’s what the decision came down to. I was thinking the next four months. I had basically committed to Tampa.” After the Packers then traded him to the Jets instead, which he found out while watching TV, Favre accepted his fate.
“[Mike Tannenbuam] knew that by making that trade there was a chance I could turn it down, but when the trade was made and it was public news without my knowledge, how could I change my mind?” Favre said.
“There had been enough dirt kicked around up to that point. That’s basically what happened. And it was a tough, tough decision. When that was done for me, without my consent, I was like, ‘I’m not going to make things any worse.’ And I think that’s exactly what the Packers were banking on.”