Favre intends to report to Packers

By Tom Silverstein
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A National Football League source familiar with the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre said the Packers have been told by Favre and his agent, James “Bus” Cook, that Favre intends to report to training camp this week.

NFL Network first reported that Favre might be coming in to report for camp, and the Journal Sentinel’s source said Favre called general manager Ted Thompson on Wednesday and informed him that he was planning to apply for reinstatement and report for training camp. The source said Cook had informed the Packers earlier in the week that Favre was preparing to come back to play for the Packers.

The Packers, the source said, have laid out their plan at quarterback, including a commitment to Aaron Rodgers as the starter, but apparently, Favre is willing to come in and either compete for the job or play a secondary role. It doesn’t appear the Packers have any objection to Favre coming back as long as he understands the current pecking order.

A league source said the word coming from Cook is that Favre’s first choice is to play for the Packers, who he thinks have as good a chance as any team to go to the Super Bowl. According to the source, Cook has expressed that to various people.

However, it may also be a negotiating tactic by the Favre camp to try to force the Packers’ hand to release or trade him. They figure the Packers won’t want Favre in camp because it will undermine Rodgers’ ability to lead the team and create a media circus during training camp.

The Favre camp’s first choice is for the Packers to release Favre so he can play with whichever team he wants, most notably the Minnesota Vikings. But the Packers aren’t going to do that, and they will soon find themselves with Favre and Rodgers on the roster.

The big question is whether the Packers are willing to call the bluff and accept all that comes with Favre making a comeback. The possibility of a trade exists, but the Packers have made it clear to other teams that they are not going to give him away for free.

A number of teams have shown interest — some more than others — but the strong money is on Tampa Bay, which has been identified by some as the best fit for Favre. The Buccaneers have five quarterbacks in camp, but they run the West Coast offense, made the playoffs last year and probably think they could make a Super Bowl run with Favre at quarterback.

Until Favre signs his reinstatement papers, the Packers will wait, but the fact that he has indicated he is coming in means he’s serious about coming back and probably is willing to be traded. Even if his first choice really is to play for the Packers, he may accept that they have settled on Rodgers as their starter and nothing is going to change.