When Brett Favre retired, I decided that he wouldn’t be regarded as actually gone for good until at least two seasons go by without Favre playing.
Two seasons have now gone by without Favre playing. So, of course, his agent is now talking about Favre playing.
“Today, he could play today,’' Bus Cook said Monday night at a speaking event in Mobile, Alabama. “I saw him the other day. He’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in, physically.
“His arms look like a blacksmith’s arms. He rides a bike probably 30-50 miles a day. He runs four or five miles a day. He’s coaching at the high school and they’re undefeated. He loves it. His body fat is 7.5 percent and he weighs 225 pounds. He could play today, better than a lot of them out there today.’'
Cook may be right. There are plenty of bad quarterbacks in the NFL. And Favre arguably is better, even right now, than many of them.
But none of this means Favre is inclined to return. I’d always thought he’d consider a Roger Clemens-style half season with a contending team that needs a quarterback.
This year, there really isn’t. Even if there were, the chances of a Favre return at age 43 (he’ll turn 44 next month) are slim.