This story is getting stranger by the minute.
Just hours after news broke that Brett Favre might be getting the itch to play another season, the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that Favre has already contacted the team about returning and the Packers rebuffed him. The conversation ended with Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, demanding that his client be released and the Packers refusing to do so.
However, an NFL source said Wednesday afternoon that Favre — or Cook on his behalf — actually contacted the Packers “within the past few weeks” about returning, and the conversation ended in him asking the club for his release. The Packers refused.
The source wouldn’t say why Favre would’ve asked to be released, but the logical reason he’d have made such a request would be because the team told him it had moved on with new starter Aaron Rodgers and did not want him back. The Packers also could’ve been testing Favre’s resolve to see how serious he really is about playing again.
The Packers placed Favre on the reserve/retired list on April 25 and continue to hold his rights, which they could trade to an interested team if Favre wants to come back and is willing to do so with another club.
If Favre is serious about reporting to training camp — the first practice is July 28 — and the Packers are committed to moving on, it would set up a potentially awkward parting of the ways between the franchise and its preeminent star. Favre could demand to be activated from the reserve/retired list, and that would give the Packers three options: Re-activate him, release him or trade him.
The thought of Favre playing for another team makes me sick to my stomach. The last thing I want to see would be for this relationship to get contentious. If Favre is serious about coming back and serious about the commitment it would take, I say let him come back. Apologize to Aaron Rodgers and ask him kindly to wait another year for his shot.
I do like the theory that the Packers are testing Favre to see how serious he is about returning, but this situation has the potential to get very ugly very quickly.
