Brett Favre Rumors Fly On The Weekend

by Brandon on Aug 2, 2008 3:44 PM CDT in Green Bay Packers News

Nothing official is being done this weekend, Favre isn't meeting with the Packers or the commissioner, and he isn't flying up to Green Bay either. But the sources close to everyone involved keep talking.

ESPN's Ed Werner is down in Hattiesburg and his sources say Favre will probably reject the $20 million offer to retire because he'd rather play football. This doesn't surprise me because I've never thought, and I've never read or heard anyone say it, that Favre was returning just for the money.

Same link as above, it's also rumored that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate Favre on Monday. Then Favre would have to report for the afternoon practice on Tuesday.

GM Ted Thompson could force through a trade, take the best offer he's received, if he's even received an offer, to make sure Favre doesn't come anywhere near camp. He could release him, but that is still unlikely. Otherwise he'll welcome Favre back and presumably he'll let him hold a clip board and not participate in practice. I think that is the most likely scenario. He'll be in camp, but not participating while Thompson works on a trade.

Thompson had the support of most fans at first, but he's done a lot wrong over the past couple weeks. He's lost some, if not a lot of fans, and Favre certainly has more support than he did a couple weeks ago. This could turn real ugly for Thompson as fans watch Favre sit on the sideline while he loses his starting job to Aaron Rodgers after no quarterback competition. He either has to trade/release Favre before he shows up, or give Favre a legitimate opportunity to win the starting job, but I can't imagine he'll even consider letting Favre start again.

Poll

What Will Thompson Do After Favre Is Reinstated?

Accept Any Trade Offer

110 votes

Release Him

33 votes

Make Him A Backup

52 votes

195 votes | Poll has closed

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Brett showing up at training camp is not that bad

Thanks for pointing out the article! A deadline at last. (If the sources are right.)

One consistent piece of each article on the Favre situation is that the Pack desperately wants Brett not to come to training camp and that Brett also doesn’t want to be a distraction to the practicing Packers.

I really don’t think it’s the end of the world if that has to happen. Awkward, sure, but permanently scarring, no. Favre will be as little of a disruption as possible, and all the staff and players will be civil, if aloof. Maybe some fan booing and media frenzy, but NFL players are used to that kind of thing.

Brett coming to camp is simply one of the steps that has to be taken in preparation for either a trade or a season of benchwarming, just like the reinstatement request was and the eventual reinstatement will be.

There’s a little lost face on both sides, and some servings of crow will have to be eaten, but if they just get on with the reinstatement and serious trade talk, the rawness of the wounds will heal, and years from now Brett will still be just as loved by the Pack (and the rest of us NFL fans) as he was in April.

Didn’t Ex-Bear-turned-Packer QB Jim McMahon wear a Bears jersey when he went to the White House after the 1996 Superbowl win with the Pack? Just goes to show that a quarterback can still privately have his favorite team in his heart even while competing against them publicly.

May the wind be always at your back, and may your placekicker have icewater in his veins.

by juperee on Aug 2, 2008 4:37 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed with the point above

It probably won’t be that bad. It just feels that way.

It’s a shame that Thompson has lost as much fan support as he has. But his job isn’t to be well liked, it’s to scout talent and build a franchise. If he’s unpopular with us fans but the team wins 11-12 games a year during his tenure, he’ll keep his job for as long as he wants it. As long as he gets results, I’ll support our GM. And he’s done nothing but get positive results for the team thus far. I just wish that this situation had gone differently.

-- "I do know that I plead the fizzif."

by Mitchell Maurer on Aug 2, 2008 10:53 PM CDT reply actions