On the day Brett Favre most likely stepped away from Green Bay for good, the New York Jets continued their active push to acquire the legendary quarterback.
A league source told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio Wednesday that the Jets have offered a fourth-round pick to the Packers for Favre that would become a second-round pick based on the 2008 performance of Favre and the team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have also spoken to Favre as a leading potential trade partner with Green Bay, Chris Mortensen reports.
Favre, having flown home to Hattiesburg, Miss, after Wednesday’s Green Bay exit, confirmed that he was considering the Jets and Buccaneers.
“We’re working on it,” Favre said in video posted on Jackson (Miss.) TV station WJTV’s Web site. “Hopefully we can get something resolved. I’ve been saying that for quite a while now. I don’t want to say we’re running out of time, but I need to get into a camp somewhere, [to] get used to the guys as well as the system.
“We’re talking to Tampa and the Jets,” Favre added. “I don’t think anything has changed. We’ll see what happens.”
Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden refused to address speculation that the team was on the verge of a deal for Favre, sidestepping a question about whether he had spoken to Favre Tuesday night.
“I’m not going to talk about it,” Gruden said. “I don’t know anything other than what happened today on the practice field, and I don’t want to address any more speculation at this point. Brett’s situation will resolve itself during the coming days I would assume. But at this point and time, all I can comment on is our football team and what we did today.”
Gruden acknowledged that he’s always willing to explore ways to improve his team.
“We are a good football team,” said Gruden, an offensive assistant coach in Green Bay early in Favre’s career. “We’re trying to become a great one. We’ll do anything we can to get better. And if that involves looking at other players, by George that’s our job. That’s our responsibility.”
The Jets had no comment on Favre, a team spokesman said Wednesday.
Favre left Green Bay a day after he and Packers management concluded he could not return as quarterback of the Packers — who had decided to move ahead with Aaron Rodgers as the starter, and also do not want to see Favre play for an NFC North rival.
As for the situation with the Packers, Favre told WJTV after arriving in Mississippi, “Green Bay has been just awesome to me and my family. They’ve got really good players, good coaching but it’s time they move on, one way or the other. It’s the best for everyone.”
Deanna Favre, who joined her husband and his agent, James “Bus” Cook, aboard the flight from Green Gay to Hattiesburg, said it has been an emotional few days for the family.
She said there was a group of fans outside their house in Green Bay on Wednesday morning, holding signs asking her husband not to leave. That was difficult, she said, because she and Brett feel close to the Green Bay community.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke to Favre again Tuesday night, but there was no indication that their conversation did anything to change the fractured relationship between Favre and the franchise.
“It was just very general,” McCarthy said of the conversation with Favre. “Just how he was doing, where he was with the process, things like that.”
McCarthy said he was happy the rest of his players were getting a chance to move forward.
“We talked about it last night,” McCarthy said. “The players want resolution, they want what everybody wants. To come out here every day and talk about somebody that is not here and then shows up, it’s gone on too long, and understandably so. They want to play football.”
After McCarthy made it clear Tuesday that Favre’s football future wouldn’t be in Green Bay, players seemed to have some sense of closure.
“It was just important to get things moving,” Packers tackle Mark Tauscher said. “Obviously, there’s no closure as of yet, but I think we’ve kind of been told what’s going on and I think we all kind of know where everything stands.”
Credit: ESPN
