Vikings quarterback Brett Favre recently revealed that he was willing to be traded to the Detroit Lions, before being shipped to the New York Jets.
Vikings Quarterback Brett Favre
Prior to the 2008 season Favre and the Packers were at a standstill. Both parties were being stubborn and neither appeared willing to back down to the other.
In a recent interview with Men’s Journal, the 40-year old gunslinger told the magazine of his willingness to play for Detroit.
“There was just silence,” Favre recalled. “I said, ‘Well, what are we gonna do?’ They made it pretty clear I wasn’t going to play there, and I said, ’How about the Vikings or even the Lions?’ I wanted to stay in the same division.”
But as as the story goes, the Packers refused to trade him inner-division. However, Favre did return to the NFC North, albeit a year later with the Vikings, after a year with the New York Jets.
As Tim Twentyman notes, the Lions went on to set the record of futility with an 0-16 season before drafting quarterback Matthew Stafford with the No. 1-overall pick.