Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will return for his 15th NFL season, but wide receiver Plaxico Burress was still looking for a job on Thursday.
Green Bay coach Mike Sherman said Favre will be back. The three-time league MVP will turn 36 in October. He has a league-record 205 consecutive starts at quarterback, 225 including playoffs.
Last season, Favre passed for 4,088 yards and threw more than 30 touchdown passes for the eighth time, twice as many as any other quarterback in NFL history.
But he underwent a series of personal setbacks. His brother-in-law was killed in an ATV accident on the quarterback's property in Mississippi, and his wife, Deanna, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
That came less than a year after Favre's father died of a heart attack.
"It came down to his wife and she's doing well in her recovery," Sherman said. "She wants him to play. He said he's looking forward to playing -- hopefully without any off-the-field situations, and `enjoying the journey.'"
Burress' journey as a free agent has been fruitless so far. The former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, expected to be one of the more desirable free agents on the market, was sent packing by the New York Giants on Thursday after meeting with team officials and coaches.
The Giants said in a news release that they pulled back their offer to Burress, an announcement almost never made in the NFL. In fact, the Giants have been silent most of this free-agent period about players they have signed, making official announcements in some cases long after the signings have become public knowledge.
Burress' agent said the player had rejected the team.
"The Giants made us an offer, we rejected, they upped their offer, we rejected it again, and that's when they said they had to rescind the deal," Michael Harrison told AP, saying Burress would next visit the Minnesota Vikings.
The Denver Broncos, meanwhile, matched the New York Jets' offer sheet to tight end Jed Putzier, a restricted free agent. Putzier will get US$12.5 million over five years.
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