One of the finest moments in Packers history is still etched in their fans’ collective memory. Starved of Super Bowl success, they were holding on to their lead against New England in the title showdown on January 26, 1997. The Patriots were threatening, refusing to go quietly. Just then, when his side needed him the most, the “Minister of Defense” stepped up. On three separate plays, Reggie White burst through the line like a man possessed, sacking Drew Bledsoe again and again, slamming the door on any hope of a comeback, and securing the first Super Bowl win for the Packers in 30 years.

Hence, in 2004 when White passed away at age 43 in late 2004, the Packers fanbase went into mourning, and Brett Favre paid a moving tribute to him. Favre had said, “He was an integral part of the Packers’ success, no question. Had it not been for Reggie, we don’t make it to the Super Bowl. That’s how important he was to the team. When he signed as a free agent, he changed the way people in and out of football looked at Green Bay as an NFL city. He helped the franchise get back to where it had been…at the top.” Favre was the reason why White moved to Green Bay and it is hard to talk about either one of them and their time with the Packers without mentioning the other. With 20 years gone since White’s passing, he still holds a special place in the hearts of the fans, and Favre continues to remember his former teammate.

Together Favre and White are credited with taking the Packers out of the Dark Ages of the 1970s and 1980s. While White wreaked havoc on the offenses running through them, Favre was able to carve open defenses. As strong, dominant, and flamboyant White was on the gridiron, he was equally competitive and fierce off it. On Friday, Favre shared a story on X from White’s days at the Packers when he took rookie lineman Mirko Yurkovic to the task.

Captioning the video, “There’ll never be another Reggie White. This was one of my favorite stories (praying emoji),” the former NFL QB narrated:

“One of my favorite Reggie White stories. We’re out in preseason practice here, right outside of the Hudson Center. Mirko Jurkovic was [an offensive] lineman at Notre Dame and we had picked him up. This is his rookie season, so he’s trying to make the team.

He’s blocking against Reggie in practice, and you know, Reggie’s not, none of the guys really gave it their best effort in practice. I mean, you didn’t want Reggie to give his best effort. It would disrupt practice too much. So he’s not, and he would never hit the quarterback. So he rushes in and Mirko grabs and kind of pulls him down. And Reggie said, ‘Hey Mirko! Quit the holding!’ Mirko says, ‘Hey! F you, Reggie!’”

This set off White and watching from the back, Favre knew this was a bad idea and so it proved.

“Reggie digs in and gets, you know, and I said ‘Hut.’ And he clubbed Mirko, and it was a domino effect and all five guys just fell down. I mean, it was horrible. And Reggie says, ‘Now God loves you, Mirko. But don’t ever hold me again.’ And he never held him again,” Favre recalled.

White played 15 years in the NFL, including six with the Green Bay Packers, and finished his career with 198 sacks. He spent seven years with the Eagles where he recorded totaled 124 sacks. But it was with the Packers that his legacy began to take shape and the story of how he arrived in Green Bay is unique in itself.

As a free agent, he was paying visits to various cities with teams doing all they could to court him to their side. After welcoming in snowy conditions in Green Bay and arranging a private jet for him, the Packers HC Mike Holmgren and DC Ray Rhodes flew to Knoxville unannounced and attended White’s speaking engagement at a local Kiwanis Club. They later headed to his house for coffee. This impressed White, who had received very few visits during his free agency. Then there was the Brett Favre factor.

An excerpt around White’s importance to the Packers from The People’s Team: An Illustrated History of the Green Bay Packers by Mark Beech read: “White had been a fan of Brett Favre’s ever since the day in November 1992 when the quarterback, playing with a separated left shoulder, had led the Packers to a 27– 24 upset victory over White and the Eagles in Milwaukee.” 

White later noted, “Right there, I knew that this Mississippi country boy had all the stuff of a championship quarterback. When I left the Philadelphia Eagles . . . the vivid memory of Brett Favre playing straight through the punishment I put on him stuck in my mind.”

During his tenure in Green Bay, he added 76½ more sacks to his total and was the cornerstone of a defense that ranked No. 1 in the league when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI.

His Super Bowl record of three sacks against the Patriots has been matched only three times since then but never surpassed. None of the Packers linemen had more than five sacks in a season since 1985, before White arrived. He never had fewer than eight in each of the six seasons.

He was elected to a record 13 consecutive Pro Bowls and was twice honored as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006

His move to the Packers was a massive surprise and changed their history for the good. The current Packers GM will be hoping to repeat the same as he eyes a game-changing trade for his team.

Packers’s GM could opt for Reggie White-like trade?

The Packers have built a young, talented roster, but that doesn’t mean they should shy away from a big move. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests that the franchise should consider trading for Browns’s star pass rusher, Myles Garrett, who already wants to be out of the team.

We all know that it’s not Green Bay’s style to go after big-name veterans. GM Brian Gutekunst has focused on building through the draft, keeping the team young. But history shows that when the Packers take a chance on elite defensive talent, it pays off. For instance, Reggie White’s signing in 1993 helped bring a Super Bowl. Even Charles Woodson’s arrival transformed the secondary.

So, as per the reports, Garrett could be that kind of game-changer. Of course, his contract is massive. But if Green Bay wants to elevate this defense, maybe it’s time to break their own rules.