Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre broke the ice at "NFL Honors." Now Rodgers says the time has come for Favre to reunite with the Green Bay Packers.
In a Tuesday interview with ESPN Radio, Rodgers said he hopes a reunion of Favre and the Packers will become part of his own legacy.
"As the face of the franchise now," Rodgers said, "(it's) a role that I take very seriously. I have the responsibility and enjoy having the opportunity to represent my team. I think it's important to realize that it is probably time to move forward."
The two quarterbacks hadn't talked much since 2008, when Favre came out of retirement and attempted to regain the Packers' starting job that already had been handed to Rodgers. It was an awkward -- and frankly, ugly -- ending to Favre's legendary run in Green Bay, and Rodgers was caught in the middle of it.
Rodgers said he and Favre spoke on the phone before the "NFL Honors" appearance last week in New Orleans, and subsequent interactions had none of the awkwardness that was portrayed in their memorable on-stage encounter.
"It didn't take a lot of coaxing for me to do it," Rodgers said. "I did want to sit and think about whether it was the right thing to do. I really feel very secure in my position with the team and feel good about the things that we've been able to accomplish in my five years as the starter, and feel good about the direction the organization is going in.
"Brett is two years removed from the game. He's going to obviously be in the PackersHall of Fame. He'll get his number retired, and he'll be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next few years. It's important, I think, to make sure that he's recognized for all the accomplishments that he's achieved in our organization especially. He's still very dear to many of our fans for the things that he's done for the Packers on the field. You can never take that away.
"As the face of the franchise, I felt like it was important that I took a leadership role in that. Not that one was needed now, but I thought it was good timing to just let the fans know, let Brett know, let's move forward. Let's heal things up and let's move forward."
Good job by Rodgers, who's obviously more confident and secure in his standing now five years into his own Hall of Fame-level career. With Rodgers leading the way, it's only a matter of time before we see Brett Favre Day at Lambeau Field.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
