Brett Favre turns 50, so we can finally believe he is retired

Brett Favre's milestone birthdays occupy a strange place in my mind.

The former Vikings and Packers great was, of course, here during his first season when he turned 40 on Oct. 10, 2009. That was six days after Favre defeated Green Bay the first time, and a day before the Vikings won at the Rams to improve to 5-0.

The Vikings went 12-4, and Favre had the best statistical season of his career by many measures — including throwing 33 touchdowns with just seven interceptions in the regular season.

It seemed at the time like Favre could play forever, and based on how many times he had flirted with retirement or actually retired, only to come back, I became convinced of a strange thing: I would not believe Favre was done playing until he turned 50.

My absurd adherence to this belief extended to a point a few months ago, when I actually confessed it to Favre during an e-mail Q&A for our large oral history on his time with the Vikings.

"Lol," Favre wrote. "The arm is fine, really, but I don't need any more hits. I fear what is to come with what I've endured already."

But this is Oct. 10, 2019. It's Favre's 50th birthday.

As of today, I will no longer believe that a playoff contender that is dealt a devastating injury to its quarterback midyear will be reaching out to Favre.

My instincts will no longer be to doublecheck Favre's Wikipedia page to see just how old he is.

Happy birthday, Brett. You can finally enjoy retirement.