Former Jets GM used hunting, fishing to bring Brett Favre to New York

Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum convinced Brett Favre to play for the Jets after telling him to go fishing and hunting.

With the NFL offseason underway, player movement is around the corner. As that process unfolds, details as to how teams courted their top targets are sure to emerge.

Sometimes, that just means fancy visits, lengthy talks and offering the most money. But, often teams go the extra mile to get their guy. That was the case with the Jets in 2008 when they convinced Brett Favre to come out of retirement and play for them.

After Favre came out of retirement, he and the Packers talked about a possible return. However, they ultimately agreed that it was time to part ways, but Green Bay wasn’t going to just release the Hall of Fame quarterback. So they put him on the trade market and received calls from the Buccaneers and Jets, among other teams. Of course, there was no guarantee Favre would play for just any team he was traded to.

Jon Gruden was the coach of the Bucs and was once Favre’s offensive coordinator in Green Bay. Gruden told Favre that Tampa Bay wasn’t a far flight from his hometown in Mississippi and that New York City wouldn’t fit his lifestyle.

That led former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum to take a deep dive into Favre’s hobbies. The exec assured the gunslinger that he would still be able to do some of his favorite outdoor activities.

“We’re going to make it mandatory on Monday afternoon and Tuesday hunt and fish at our owner’s farm 20 minutes away,” Tannenbaum, now with ESPN, said on Get Up. “He didn’t believe us; we actually sent Google satellite imaging of the farms.”

Once Favre heard those words, he approved a trade to the Jets. New York sent the Packers a mid-round pick in exchange.

Luckily for the Jets, they moved their training facility from Long Island to North Jersey that season. It was more of a rural area than urban, so it had plenty of spots for Favre to fish and hunt.

In Favre’s only season with the Jets, he led them to a 9-7 record, but they missed the playoffs. It was Eric Mangini’s last season as head coach.

If it wasn’t for Tannenbaum’s clever convincing, Favre may have never been a Jet. Make what you will of the quarterback’s lone season with Gang Green, but you have to give Tannenbaum credit for getting creative.