Pack extends Favres roster bonus
Packers extend Favre's roster bonus deadlineESPN.com news services
Packers GM Ted Thompson said Friday that Saturday's deadline for a $3 million roster bonus for Brett Favre, delayed twice before, has been pushed back again as the Packers quarterback needs more time to decide if he will return for the 2006 season.
Thompson did not specify a new date for when the roster bonus is due. The bonus deadline was originally extended by a week to March 20 and was then extended until April 1.
In his most recent comments about his football future, Favre made one thing clear: If he does return, he told a newspaper in his native Mississippi there is "no doubt" it will be his last season.
Thompson, who has remained in contact with Favre during the offseason, said he hasn't heard anything that would indicate a decision is imminent.
"We've talked to Brett and [wife] Deanna, and I've said all along that they'll decide when they decide,'' Thompson said.
Favre said he wants to play again but will return only if the Packers can assemble a winning team.
"Last season, expectations were high and it was a bad situation," Favre told the Sun Herald in Gulfport, Miss., of the team's 4-12 season, his only losing one in Green Bay. "If we can't compete at a high level, I can walk away and my legacy will speak for itself."
Thompson said Favre's unclear future isn't having a negative effect on the team's preparations for next season. But the sooner Favre decides, the better.
"It's OK now," Thompson said. "I think everybody would like to know. I think Brett would like to know."
Under terms of his contract, Favre would become an unrestricted free agent if the Packers do not pay the bonus. But throughout the process, both sides had an understanding that the payment deadline would be pushed back if Favre needed more time to decide on his future.
ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
