NEW YORK — Brett Favre swears this is the real deal — no more last-minute comebacks.
The 39-year-old Jets quarterback retired again Wednesday and insisted he won’t look back. Well, at least for now.
“I have no reason to wonder why you would be so skeptical,” Favre said Wednesday with a slight chuckle after announcing he was leaving the game after 18 record-setting seasons.
Favre, who retired last March only to return a few months later, kept this goodbye simple — no tearful farewell or jam-packed news conference.
“I have family and friends who are like, ‘All right, Brett. Is this the real deal?’ ” Favre said during a conference call. “To me, it is. It is. Believe me. It’s been a wonderful career. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was worth a shot for me to go to New York. I wish I could’ve played better down the stretch. I didn’t. It’s time to leave.”
The Jets placed Favre on the reserve-retired list, meaning the quarterback’s retirement paperwork had been filed with the NFL — something he didn’t do last winter with the Packers.
“Emotionally, I’m OK with it,” Favre said. “I really felt like it was time. Obviously, the circumstances last year were a lot different. Physically, if I felt better, we may not be having this conversation, but I think that’s more than anything the writing on the wall.”
His decision came six weeks after his only season with the Jets ended in disappointment as New York went 1-4 down the stretch and failed to make the playoffs. A major reason for the collapse was Favre, who threw nine interceptions in those five games. He said he played with a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder that got worse later in the season and needed a cortisone injection after the team’s game at San Francisco in Week 14.
If this is indeed it for Favre, he leaves the game with a slew of records, including career touchdown passes (464), completions (5,720), yards passing (65,127), regular-season victories (169) and interceptions (310).
The three-time NFL MVP holds the mark among quarterbacks with 291 consecutive starts, including the playoffs, despite playing through several injuries throughout his career.
The Jets will move forward with a new quarterback, whether that will be Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff or Erik Ainge.
Surprise endings
Some of sports’ best players retired from teams we don’t remember them for:
Willie Mays
Reached greatness: Playing centerfield for more than 20 seasons with the New York/San Francisco Giants.
Faded away: By limping through 135 games for the N.Y. Mets in 1972-73 before he retired.
Johnny Unitas
Reached greatness: Starring at quarterback for 17 seasons with the Baltimore Colts.
Faded away: By starting four games for the Chargers in 1973 before ending his career in San Diego.
Jerry Rice
Reached greatness: Becoming the best receiver in NFL history over 16 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
Faded away: By playing more than three seasons for the Oakland Raiders and part of one for the Seattle Seahawks, before signing with the Denver Broncos for training camp in 2005.
Michael Jordan
Reached greatness: Winning six NBA titles over 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
Faded away: After retiring in a Wizards jersey in 2003 with two mostly fruitless seasons in Washington.
Brett Favre
Reached greatness: Starting as quarterback over 16 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Faded away: When his hubris ran out — after it took him to the New York Jets for a season before retiring Wednesday.
The Denver Post
