Aug 7, 2008 - 12:07 AM
6 shoutsBy PA SportsTicker
The Brett Favre circus had turned into a tale of two cities - and there apparently is a winner.
FOXSports.com reported late Wednesday night that the New York Jets have won the bidding in the Favre sweepstakes.
According to the report, the Green Bay Packers agreed to send Favre to the Jets for a conditional draft pick - which would be based on the team's performance in 2008.
Favre flew from Green Bay to Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Wednesday amid reports that a trade to the Buccaneers was imminent.
James "Bus" Cook, the agent for Favre, told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi that a deal is close but it might not be to Tampa Bay.
"Brett's ready to go play. It looks like it's going to be New York or Tampa Bay," Cook said. "We're waiting to find out and we could learn in the next hour or so."
Packers general manager Ted Thompson postponed a scheduled news conference set for mid-day Wednesday, ostensibly to work out the final details of a trade for the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
The proposed trade would end the highly publicized feud between Favre, the three-time NFL MVP who retired in March only to change his mind and file for reinstatement, and the Packers, who clearly are attempting to rid themselves of the overwhelming distraction created by the 38-year-old quarterback.
Favre arrived in Green Bay to a hero's welcome this past weekend and evidently intended to repair his fractured relationship with the Packers, who reluctantly placed the three-time All Pro on their active roster Monday after consistently balking at his requests to return to football.
But after a pair of meetings with head coach Mike McCarthy and Thompson, including a five-hour sit-down Monday night and a subsequent meeting with team officials Tuesday, Favre left Lambeau Field and boarded a plane home Wednesday.
"I'm tired. I knew going up there it was more formality than anything, something I had to do," Favre told television station WDAM upon his arrival at the airport in Hattiesburg. " I didn't think I'd be up there too long, and I wasn't. I had kind of been locked in my house (in Green Bay) the last couple of days.
"The fans in Green Bay were awesome, at least on my side. I think that the most important thing was to get that resolved up there. Green Bay has been just awesome to me and my family. It's obviously a mess up there right now, but it can be cleaned up. They've got really good players, good coaching, but it's time they moved on, one way or another."
Favre acknowledged to the Hattiesburg American that he is considering playing for either the Buccaneers or Jets.
"I won't say we're running out of time, but I need to get into a camp somewhere," he said.
The reported trade to Tampa Bay made sense on several fronts. Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden was an assistant with the Packers during Favre's first three seasons in Green Bay. Tampa Bay also runs the West Coast offense with which Favre is familiar, and it has the requisite $12 million in salary cap space to add his salary.
In addition, Tampa Bay's current starting quarterback is 38-year-old Jeff Garcia, who currently is sidelined by a calf strain and, despite a solid 2007, played for five different teams in the previous five seasons.
On Wednesday morning, Garcia was asked if he felt like he was walking the Green Mile, according to the web site of the Tampa Tribune.
"Yeah, dead man walking," Garcia said.
Citing a source, the Tampa Tribune on Tuesday night reported that Favre would not stand in the way of a trade to the Buccaneers and that a deal could be finalized within 24 hours. The Green Bay Press-Gazette also reported that trade talks between the Packers and the Bucs have heated up.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, citing league sources, reported that Favre told the Buccaneers he would play for them. However, the newspaper stated that no deal is finalized, and agreeing on compensation could get tricky.
The Sentinel added that Favre's wife, Deanna, also was on board for a trade to Tampa Bay. Just another twist in a bizarre saga.
During a news conference Tuesday night, McCarthy claimed that Favre did not have the right mind-set to play for the Packers.
Favre echoed McCarthy's sentiments to the Hattiesburg American.
"I know people say 'You need to put the personal issues aside.' And I agree, but I couldn't do that," Favre told the paper.
Cook ruled out the possibility of his client retiring again, leaving a trade as the most likely scenario.
The attention-craving Favre, who retired in a tearful press conference on March 4, is the NFL's all-time leader in touchdowns (442), completions (5,377), attempts (8,758), yards (61,555) and wins (160). He also has been a model of toughness, starting an NFL-record 275 consecutive games, including playoffs.
