Goodell wants Favre, Pack dispute solved by Monday

GREEN BAY, Wis. - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hopes to have Brett Favre's standoff with the Green Bay Packers resolved by Monday -- even if he has to force the issue.

"Both parties are talking, the Green Bay Packers and Brett," Goodell told Adam Schefter in an interview with the NFL Network on Saturday. "And I think the discussions are moving ahead. I would hope that we would have something resolved by Monday."

Goodell made it clear he thinks the situation has lingered long enough.

"I think we have to force it," Goodell said. "I think it's come to the point where there need to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of all the fans."

Get a deal done

In the form of a marketing agreement, Brett Favre has $20 million on the table from the Packers to retire. I'm hearing the Packers may have to guarantee him his salary over the next two seasons, which amounts to $25 million, in order for suitors to back away. While it doesn't appear Favre is pressing the Packers for more money, the organization would be wise to top the proposed $20 million with another $5 million. That would probably get Favre to sign off on the deal and retire a Packer.

-- Pat Kirwan Goodell was not going to grant Favre's reinstatement request Saturday, NFL spokesman Randall Liu said. Favre submitted a letter requesting reinstatement from the Packers' reserve/retired list Tuesday, but Goodell has held off approving it in hopes that Favre and the Packers could resolve their dispute.

Favre retired in March but is having second thoughts about playing this season. The team has offered him a marketing agreement reportedly worth $20 million over 10 years, and he presumably would remain retired if he accepts it. But Favre also could be reinstated and show up to Packers camp early next week, perhaps forcing the team to trade him.

As the Hall of Fame induction ceremony started Saturday evening, Schefter reported that Favre is leaning toward accepting the package from the Packers and remaining retired.

Still, such a deal could have serious salary-cap implications.

Multiple NFL executives believe that if the Packers pay Brett Favre the millions of dollars they have been talking about for him to stay retired, Green Bay would be forced to count the money against its salary cap, reports Schefter.

If true -- and the league would have to make the determination in this highly unusual case -- the Packers would have no choice but to absorb millions of dollars against their cap.

Executives believe the league would have to rule this way because Green Bay would be deriving a football benefit: Keeping Favre away from its team, which it wants, and keeping him away from opponents, which it also wants.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy made it clear Friday that, from the team's perspective, the agreement would be more than a buyout to make an awkward situation go away. In fact, it's been in the works for months. He first heard about it at Favre's retirement news conference in March.

"I know (Packers president and CEO) Mark Murphy talked to me about it in the past, how important it was for Brett to continue to be part of the organization after he was done playing," McCarthy said after practice Friday morning. "And frankly, it's good for Brett. Brett needs to stay a part of football, Obviously, he's a part of the Green Bay Packers."

The problem is that Green Bay hasn't been eager to bring him back, with Aaron Rodgers taking over the starter's role. The Packers also don't want to release Favre, suspecting he would immediately sign with division rival Minnesota.

The Packers hold Favre's rights until his current contract expires after the 2010 season.

Tensions have built between Favre and the team over the past several weeks. Favre sent a letter to the commissioner requesting to be reinstated from the team's reserve/retired list.

But Goodell has held off approving the request, hoping the two sides could resolve their differences. Murphy flew to Mississippi to meet with Favre and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, on Wednesday. That meeting apparently rekindled talks about the marketing agreement.

Still, Favre could be reinstated and show up to Packers camp early next week. Once Favre is reinstated, the Packers will have 24 hours to decide whether to release him or add him to their active roster.

Favre arrival would create a media frenzy in Packers camp, and might force team officials to redouble their efforts to trade him or reconsider their decision not to release him.

The Packers fear Favre would sign with division rival Minnesota immediately after being released, and have filed tampering charges against the Vikings alleging the team had inappropriate dialogue with Favre.

In the most unlikely scenario, Favre would linger on the Packers' roster as a $12 million backup to Aaron Rodgers.

"Primarily, it starts with whether Brett Favre wants to play football and then, second, whether the Packers want him to play for them," Goodell said. "That's pretty much what it comes down to."



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» Favre: Bio | Player page | NFL records
Goodell said both parties are being "reasonable."

"They're difficult, emotional issues," Goodell said. "They're important to the future of both of them."

In a visit to Cincinnati Bengals training camp earlier Saturday, Goodell said he wasn't trying to interject himself into the Favre situation.

"I was interjected into it because there was a tampering charge initially," Goodell said. "I'm not looking for things to interject myself to. It's an issue that needs to be addressed because of the competing interests. You want to make sure it's done properly and within our rules. This is an issue that ultimately has to be decided between Brett and the Packers."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy again praised his players for not allowing the Favre situation to distract them.

"What's going on between Brett and the organization is something that the players and coaches, we cannot handle," McCarthy said Saturday. "We're not involved in it. I think they did a good job from a responsibility standpoint dealing with it for about two days, but the focus has been on improving."

McCarthy was not pleased with the way the Packers' offense performed in practice Saturday afternoon, making offensive players repeat two periods of practice as defensive players headed for the showers. But McCarthy didn't blame the sub-par performance on the Favre situation.

"Today was our first bump in the road in terms of having too many negative things happen in practice, and I think that's a credit to their focus and their energy level and staying true to, it's training camp," McCarthy said. "Everybody is going through it, and they've done a really good job. No one is really talking about it, frankly."