Not Over Yet

The Favre-to-Minnesota boosters probably thought it was all over a couple hours ago…but now comes this report from the Tampa Tribune indicating the Buccaneers are not exactly falling all over themselves trying to get Favre in:

"The Brett Favre-to-Tampa rumors are heating up again. There’s just one problem, the Bucs remain rather cool towards Favre.It may not seem that way, what with the Bucs still refusing to say they have no interest in Favre. The truth, though, is that the Bucs won’t involve themselves in serious trade talks for Favre until they have a real good reason to. In other words, the Bucs currently see Favre as a luxury, not a necessity. Until he becomes a necessity the Bucs will stay on the sidelines in this saga.What would make Favre a necessity? Well, Jeff Garcia suffering a long-term injury would constitute a necessity. But then you have the issue of Favre’s $12 million contract. Quite simply, the Bucs don’t want to pay it. That’s why little has changed from the Bucs perspective on this.So, they’ll continue to field calls from the Packers and they’ll continue to discuss a trade for Favre internally. But they won’t make a move on this front until they absolutely have to. And even then they will probably seek other alternatives to the problem before striking a deal for Favre."

What do you do with a player you don’t want on your team and can’t trade?  Offer him even more money to go away?  What’s the upper-limit?  $30 million?  $40 million?  How much are the Packers willing to cough up to avoid the embarrassment of Favre playing for a division rival?

Here’s another possible solution, already sort of proposed:  The Packers keep Favre on the roster but don’t let him practice with his teammates or appear in any preseason games.  Just before the season they cut him and let him go to the Vikings.  Favre, under those circumstances, would not be ready to play in the opener in Lambeau.  So the Packers at least save themselves the humiliation of Favre beating them on the night they were originally scheduled to retire his number.  Favre is ready by the time the Packers and Vikings play again, but that one’s in the Dome and therefore not as horrible.  Obviously, this plan depends on Favre only playing one more year.  If he comes back in ’09…well, I don’t know.  Maybe you hire a sniper to take out his knee or something.  The cut him right before the season plan at least buys you time.