Favre Is NFL's First $100 Million Man

ByABC News
March 2, 2001, 1:07 PM

March 2 -- Brett Favre, the only NFL player to win the MVP award threetimes, will finish his career with the Green Bay Packers.

"I do want to be a Packer for life," Favre said Friday fromhis home in Kiln, Miss., after the 31-year-old quarterback and theteam announced a lifetime extension of his contract viateleconference.

"I couldn't envision myself playing with another team," Favresaid. "Don't want to. If that was to ever come up, I probablywould just retire. I've made enough money to where I don't need tojump ship and go somewhere else. It was just important to me tostay here."

Favre said that when he grew up, "you could almost name everyplayer at every position for years on the same team, and that wasyour team. Nowadays, it's hard to say that. And I really feel likethe Packers, more so than any team have made it a point to keeptheir players in house."

Coach Mike Sherman said the pact the first lifetime contractin club history "not only ensures Brett will finish out hiscareer here in Green Bay, but also ensures the organization that wehave the services, the talent and the leadership of the very bestquarterback in the National Football League in the years to come."

Deal Brokered for Salary Cap Reasons

The extension reportedly will be for 10 years, making Favre theNFL's first $100 million player. His contract would top the $90million contract the Washington Redskins gave halfback StephenDavis last year.

However, Favre's contract, which includes a $10 million signingbonus, is essentially a six-year deal for salary cap purposes.

Favre said he renegotiated not because he had fallen behindother players of lesser talent but instead to help the Packerssurround him with a supporting cast to make another Super Bowl run.

"I've always said that I make great money and I meant that,"Favre said. "This was just an opportunity to enable the Packers tohave some cap room, solidify my future with the Packers and, if youwant to say not worry about it again, that's another way to look atit."