Favre's jersey retirement Sept. 8

Team will retire quarterback's number during season opener against Vikings

Green Bay Packers fans and the rest of the nation will see Brett Favre at Lambeau Field for the regular season opener, but Favre won't be playing. The team announced today that it will retire Favre’s No. 4 on Monday night, Sept. 8, when the Packers play the Minnesota Vikings.

"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 Packers president Mark 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."

The ceremony will at halftime and further details will be announced at a later date, the Packers said.

"It’s a division rival, obviously,” Murphy said. “And it’s a national TV game and given what Brett meant to Packers fans and the number of fans around the country, we wanted to make sure everyone would see it. That was important."

Favre’s No. 4 will become the sixth number retired by the Packers. Other retired Packers numbers include the No. 14 of wide receiver Don Hutson (1951), No. 3 of fullback Tony Canadeo (1952), No. 15 of quarterback Bart Starr (1973), No. 66 of linebacker Ray Nitschke (1983) and No. 92 of defensive end Reggie White (2005). All five bearers of the previously retired numbers are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.