Final leap: Favre decides to call it a career

Final leap: Favre decides to call it a career


Brett Favre announces retirement after 17 seasons
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has decided to retire from the NFL after 17 seasons.

"He has had one of the greatest careers in the history of the National Football League, and he is able to walk away from the game on his own terms- not many players are able to do that," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said Tuesday.

Favre's agent Bus Cook said the 38-year-old quarterback told him of his decision Monday night.

"Nobody pushed Bret Favre out the door, but then nobody encouraged him not to go out that door, either," Cook said by phone from his Hattiesburg, Miss., office.

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49ers get shopping done quickly
After a flurry of signings over the weekend, the San Francisco 49ers are essentially done with free agency for 2008 the San Francisco Chronicle reported.�They approached free agency with the urgency of a dedicated holiday shopper on the day after Thanksgiving — get up early, get to the store and get it done.

In short order, the club snagged a probable starting wide receiver, a starting defensive end, a starting inside linebacker, a backup running back, a No. 3 quarterback and a kick returner. So much for that $34.7 million the 49ers had to spend at the start of free agency. What they have left will cover their rookie pool for the NFL draft, April 26-27.

San Francisco's top two signings are defensive end Justin Smith from the Bengals and wide receiver Isaac Bruce from the Rams. The former ideally will give the 49ers an every-down defensive lineman able to rush the passer as well as play the run while the latter upgrades what was the worst group of receivers in the league last season.