The Brett Favre saga is finally over.
The Green Bay Packers have traded the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback to the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft. The move sent shockwaves throughout the Big Apple and will have major implications on the world of fantasy football.
Favre is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, throwing for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns. Those numbers made him one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy land.
But before you get too excited and list old No. 4 as one of the top signal-callers on your cheat sheet, keep in mind that the past does not bode well for his chances to reach last season's impressive totals.
In fact, I think Favre could turn out to be a serious disappointment in 2008.
First and foremost, Favre is going to turn 39 during what will be his 18th NFL season.
Even Morten Andersen thinks that's old.
The veteran will now have to learn the intricacies of a new offense with the Jets. And here's a little factoid to wrap your fantasy brain around: Since 1970, only eight quarterbacks have played a game in their 18th season. Seven of those quarterbacks were starters, and none of them performed well.
In fact, Fran Tarkenton (1978) and Vinny Testaverde (2004) were the lone quarterbacks to throw for more than 1,200 yards in that 18th season.
Tarkenton threw for 3,468 yards with Minnesota, while Testaverde totaled 3,532 yards with Dallas. Tarkenton and Testaverde also combined to throw for 42 touchdowns and 52 interceptions. The third-best performance from a quarterback in his 18th season was Sonny Jurgensen, who finished with 1,185 passing yards for Washington in 1974.
Favre will also face one of the tougher pass schedules in the league. The veteran will have eight games against teams that finished in the top 10 in pass defense last season, a list that includes the Miami Dolphins (2), New England Patriots (2), Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers.
We should also note that some of the greatest players of all time struggled to produce solid numbers after moving to a new team late in their career.
Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath were both dreadful with their new teams. Joe Montana was effective in leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs after 13 illustrious seasons in San Francisco, but his statistics were not at all stellar.
In two seasons with the Chiefs, Montana averaged a mediocre 2,714 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.
Favre should still be seen as a fantasy starter and worth a middle-round selection, and his presence in New York improves the value of both Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery.
It also makes Aaron Rodgers a much safer bet as a No. 2 quarterback in Green Bay, though Donald Driver and Greg Jennings both lose some of their luster with Favre out of the mix.
But if you're expecting the old gunslinger to duplicate his 2007 numbers and put your team on his shoulders, you might really be living in a fantasy world.
