Favre finally packs it in

Green Bay's 3-time NFL MVP QB says he's mentally tired

During his successful 17-year career, Packers quarterback Brett Favre's exuberance endeared him to fans in Green Bay, and all over the National Football League. (File/Derrick Z. Jackson/Globe Staff)

From start to finish, it was the type of play that reflected what Brett Favre was all about.

When Favre stepped to the line of scrimmage on the second play of Super Bowl XXXI against the Patriots, he surveyed the defense and changed the plan. He dropped back, rifled a 54-yard touchdown pass to Andre Rison, then thrust his helmet into the air as he raced down the field in celebration.

The audible. The laser throw. The exuberance. Put them together and it was a snapshot of vintage Favre.

He seldom was afraid to go off the script. He was gifted with a rifle of a right arm that was sometimes a blessing, other times a curse. And he wore his football heart right out there with the No. 4 on his Packers jersey.

The curtain on Favre's 17-year NFL career has come down. The 38-year-old quarterback informed Packers coach Mike McCarthy of his intention to retire Monday night, saying he was mentally tired.

Favre's decision reverberated throughout the NFL, from small-market Green Bay to the league offices in New York.

"Brett Favre will always be remembered as one of the greatest players and fiercest competitors in NFL history," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "His long list of accomplishments both on and off the field is remarkable. Brett's talent, enthusiasm, and love of the game helped him become the only player to earn three MVP awards, and he was a vital part of bringing a Super Bowl championship back to Green Bay.

"It has been a joy and privilege for all of us to watch him play. We wish Brett, Deanna, and their family all the best and hope he will stay connected to the game that he honored with his brilliant play for so many years."

In recent years, Favre had pondered retirement to the point that his decision became an annual rite of Wisconsin's winter and spring. He finishes his career with 5,377 career completions in 8,758 attempts for a league-record 61,655 yards. Favre passed Dan Marino's NFL record for touchdown passes last season, with 442, and he also holds the league mark for interceptions (288).

Considered a lock to be elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, Favre played in 275 straight games (including playoffs). He led the Packers to two Super Bowls - winning one against the Patriots in January 1997 before losing the following year to the Broncos - and was named to nine Pro Bowls.

"The Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude," said Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson. "He has given Packers fans 16 years of wonderful memories, a Super Bowl championship among them, that will live on forever. Brett's many accomplishments on the field are legendary. He leaves the game holding virtually every career passing record, plus his consecutive-starts streak, which may never be duplicated.

"The uniqueness of Brett Favre - his personality, charisma, and love of the game - undoubtedly will leave him as one of the enduring figures in NFL history."

Favre's decision was surprising to some, including McCarthy, because he was coming off a bounce-back season in which he drew consideration from MVP voters and led the Packers to the NFC Championship game.

Prior to the Packers' Jan. 12 playoff game against Seattle, Favre told his hometown newspaper, the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald, "For the first time in three years, I haven't thought this could be my last game. I would like to continue longer."

There was speculation that Favre's decision may have been tied to the Packers not pursuing Randy Moss in free agency over the weekend, but Favre told ESPN that wasn't the case.

Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1991 draft (33d overall) but played in only two games for them (4 pass attempts) before being traded to the Packers for a 1992 first-round pick.

Favre replaced injured starter Don Majkowski in a late September game and led the Packers to a comeback triumph.

He had been the starter ever since.

"Brett's career accomplishments will be measured among the greats of the game for the balance of time," said former Packers coach Mike Holmgren in a statement. "He truly was as gifted a player as I have ever seen."

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.