Confusion: Favre may report to Packers

MILWAUKEE - If Brett Favre plans to show for the Green Bay Packers' training camp, he'll need permission from the NFL. And as of Friday evening, he had not petitioned the league for reinstatement.

NFL spokesman Randall Liu said the league did not receive a letter from Favre on Friday. The step is considered a formality, but an important one: Favre can't return until commissioner Roger Goodell receives and approves the request.

The NFL Network reported earlier Friday that Favre told Packers general manager Ted Thompson he plans to report to training camp and could file his reinstatement letter as early as Friday, a move perhaps designed to force the team to quickly trade the three-time MVP.

If Favre follows through with his intention to show up to camp, Favre would likely become an even bigger distraction to a team that's spent the past several off-seasons dealing with his constant waffling on whether to retire.

Packers players are scheduled to move into their dorm rooms today, and their first team meeting is scheduled for Sunday morning. Their first practice is Monday morning.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy is scheduled to address the media today.

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy reiterated Thursday that if Favre were to return to the Packers, it would be in "a different role" - presumably not as the starter.

"But what's going to happen if that occurs, we'll have to look and see the situation at the time," Murphy said, speaking with reporters after Thursday's Packers shareholders meeting. "That's a little bit of a technicality. But I guess there's two questions. We have said we would welcome him back. But whether he will come back is another question. And a lot of it goes back to, we want to work with Brett, and be fair to him and help give him what he wants,"

Once Favre's request to be reinstated is approved by the commissioner, the Packers must place him on their active roster or release him. Thompson has said the team has no plans to release Favre.

Speculation on a potential new home for Favre has centered on Tampa Bay, but the New York Jets also emerged as a potential trade partner for the Packers. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington said Friday that general manager Mike Tannenbaum told him the team has talked to the Packers about Favre.

It didn't sound like Tannenbaum assured Pennington that the Jets aren't interested.

"Bottom line, an organization has to take a look at every player available in this league. Period," Pennington said. "A general manager and a head coach is going to do everything they can do to make their team as good as they can make it. That's their job."

Tannenbaum would not confirm conversations with the Packers.

Earlier Friday, Jets coach Eric Mangini dodged questions about the team's interest in Favre.

"I'm happy with the quarterbacks we have and we look at a lot of different scenarios every night," Mangini said. "And trust me when I tell you that we look into a lot of different scenarios every night. It's just normal operating procedure for us."

That's just about the only thing normal in the ongoing saga surrounding Favre's football future.