For the first time since the third game of the 2002 season someone besides Brett Favre will quarterback the Green Bay Packers’ next game.

In a move that will have sportscasters from John Madden to Dan Dierdorf crying in their Wild Turkey ‘til training camp starts, Favre has informed the team that he’s hanging up his cleats after 17 seasons, 16 of which were with the Packers, according to FoxSports.com and the Biloxi Sun Herald.

No word yet on whether Madden will further discuss his man-crush on Favre. But Packers GM Ted Thompson, acknowledged Favre in a mid-morning statement at www.packers.com. “The Packers owe [Favre] a tremendous debt of gratitude,” he said. “He has given Packers fans 16 years of wonderful memories, a Super Bowl championship among them, that will live on forever. Brett’s many accomplishments on the field are legendary.”

It’s a little surprising to me that Favre is stepping away right now. A couple of his mistakes helped doom the Packers in the frigid 2007 NFC Championship game and He did look late in the game as though the weather was affecting him and he didn’t really want to be there. But he turned back the hands of time throughout most of the season, conjuring up memories of 2-minute drills gone by and leading the green and gold to a 13-3 record and NFC North Championship.

If he does follow through on his alleged retirement, the move has both free agency and fantasy football ramifications. Aaron Rodgers would appear to have the first shot at replacing Favre. He looked good in a relief role when Favre was injured against the Dallas Cowboys late last season. But there are plenty of reasons to keep an eye on this story.

First, the pressure in replacing a legend can be overwhelming. Look at the list of castoffs that followed guys like Dan Marino, John Elway and others. It’ll take some time for him to learn, but Packers fans are used to greatness. They’ll need to be patient.

Second, Rodgers has only thrown 59 NFL passes in three seasons. So he is A) probably not yet a quarterback you want to stake your fantasy football hopes on and B) probably someone in whom the Packers would like to have a backup plan.
Currently, in addition to Rodgers, the team’s depth chart at Packers.com includes 7-year veteran Craig Nall and first-year players Jerry Babb and Dalton Bell. Nall could probably step in short-term if Rodgers appears overwhelmed at any time, but the team’s long-term plans right now are Rodgers-or-bust.

If the Packers decide they do want to add another warm body to the depth chart there’s not much left in free agency. Trent Green, Daunte Culpepper and Byron Leftwich are the best of what was already a weak lot. So they’d be as well served taking a shot at a youngster through the draft.

As a long-time Vikings fan I won’t miss seeing the Packers steal games in the final seconds. But while the media fervor for Favre was frequently nauseating it was hard not to enjoy watching him play the game with his gunslinger mentality and boyish enthusiasm. He’s certainly among the all-time greats. And it will be weird turning on the tube in September and seeing someone else at the helm for the Pack for the first time since I was a senior in high school.