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Did Favre seek trade after Moss deal fizzled? Source thinks QB is still committed to Packers

Within a few days after the draft, Brett Favre apparently asked the Green Bay Packers to trade him, but indications suggest he’s now not pushing for a deal to another club. Favre was and remains upset the team didn’t acquire receiver Randy Moss in a trade he lobbied General Manager Ted Thompson and Moss to complete. The quarterback publicly expressed his frustration on Saturday to reporters covering his annual charity golf outing in Mississippi. On Sunday, the Fox Sports Web site cited anonymous sources saying Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, called the team a couple of days after last month’s draft and asked the Packers to trade his client.
Favre never said or suggested to reporters Saturday he wants to be traded. But he said that the failure to acquire Moss from Oakland - the Raiders dealt him to New England instead - is evidence Thompson is rebuilding for a couple of years down the road. The 37-year-old Favre is down to his perhaps his last year or two in the NFL and wants a better chance to win now. A source close to Favre told the Press-Gazette on Sunday that Favre might have talked about wanting a trade shortly after the draft but has given no such indication recently. Favre finally spoke with coach Mike McCarthy in the last week or so, the first time the two had talked since the draft.
“He wouldn’t be doing these offseason workouts and all that (if he wanted a trade),” the source said. “He’s been busting his (butt). I don’t see him not playing for (the Packers). It wouldn’t surprise me if he told (Cook) or somebody that (he wanted a trade) - he was mad - but he wouldn’t be busting his (butt) like this.” It remains unclear whether Favre will attend the Packers’ mandatory minicamp this weekend. Favre will not take part in the practices because he’s recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, and the source said Favre would prefer to remain in Mississippi working out rather than attend the camp. But at his golf outing, Favre left open the door to attending the camp.
Favre is close to being fully recovered from February’s surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. He’s been rehabilitating and also performing the core-strength oriented workout program with the same personal trainer he hired two years ago for the most rigorous offseason training of his career. Favre appears especially upset about the failed Moss trade because he thought a deal could have been completed easily. It’s not entirely clear why the trade fell through on draft weekend, but a major factor appears to be that Thompson insisted Moss take part of his $3 million salary in substantial weekly roster bonuses that would be paid only if he played each week. Moss would have taken the $3 million salary but rejected the roster-bonus contingency. Favre on Saturday said he offered to give up an equal amount of his $11 million salary to cover the cost of Moss’ roster bonuses, which is believed to be in the range of $800,000 to $1 million.
However, salary-cap room is not an issue for the Packers, because they are about $15 million under the $109 million cap. Thompson responded to Favre’s statements over the weekend with a written press release Sunday. “I think it’s natural for a player to be frustrated from time to time - that’s simply human nature,” Thompson said. “Everyone knows that Brett Favre is all about winning. As an organization, we share that commitment. And we want to win now.” Thompson said in the release he won’t comment on whether Favre or Cook asked for a trade. “We never comment on the talks we have with our players or with their agents, in line with the long-standing policy of organization,” Thompson said.
Thompson also defended his method of rebuilding the Packers, and said they’ll be better this year even without trading for Moss or signing any skill-position players for the offense in free agency. “We feel like we’ve had a great offseason program,” Thompson said. “Our guys are getting bigger and stronger, and we’ll improve from within. We’re also excited about the players we’ve added through the draft and what those players will bring to our team.”