Prior to Brett F***e's trade to the Jets -- a move which Favre accepted after he was persuaded that he'd be "the face of the franchise in the Big Apple" (per Sal Paolantonio) -- Fox's number one football analyst Troy Aikman opined on the drama on the 2 Live Stews radio show Wednesday.

Among other things, Aikman stated that Favre flirts with retirement every year and has been doing so for quite some time.

The statement was as obvious as it was refreshing:

"This has been going on for over a decade. Going in to '96, the Super Bowl that he won, he talked about it prior to that game that if he won the Super Bowl he may in fact retire; and since that time -- it's been 12 years now -- we've been talking about whether or not Brett's going to retire."

Aikman more or less defended Packers management for sticking with the least popular man in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers.

"He has been there all offseason. They drafted him in the first round. They told him that he was going to be the starter this year and I think you risk losing him for the rest of his career, however short that may be with the Packers, to get one more season out of Brett Favre."

It's nice to have sensible people in the mainstream media. Thanks, Troy. I'll wear my child-size Troy Aikman jersey that I bought for a Cowboys/Indians themed party in college with much pride the next time I drink heavily.