Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said the legendary quarterback's number would be retired in a ceremony at Lambeau Field during the Monday night game, which will be televised by ESPN. Favre announced his retirement earlier this year, ending a 17-year career.
"The season-opening game is always an exciting event, and now we're very pleased to add the retirement of Brett's No. 4 to that evening," said Murphy. "It will make for an electric atmosphere at Lambeau Field, as well as a great opportunity for our fans around the country to share in it while watching the game on the national broadcast.
"Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and I looked at the entire schedule and felt the first game would be an ideal time to have the event. I spoke with Brett, as did Ted and Mike, about which game to choose. Ultimately, through our communications, we decided the first game would work great."
Speculation has swirled for weeks that Favre would have a change of heart in the wake of the announcement the league's only three-time MVP was retiring.
He said that if the team were in need, he might think twice about retirement should the team reach out to him. But he made it clear he is not changing his mind at the time.
"I guess the best response would be, right now no," he told the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald early this month of a possible return to the game.
Asked by the Wisconsin State Journal on Thursday if he broached the comeback-talk issue in conversations with Favre, Murphy said: "No, we didn't."
"I just go back to the [retirement] press conference and how emotional it was," Murphy told the State Journal. "To me, he's made a decision to retire and we really haven't heard anything otherwise."
Favre's number will become the sixth retired by the team. Others are the No. 14 of wide receiver Don Hutson, fullback Tony Canadeo's No. 3, quarterback Bart Starr's No. 15, linebacker Ray Nitschke's No. 66 and defensive end Reggie White's No. 92.
