Retire...Reinstate...Backup...Trade...Release

Well, I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't weighed in on the Favre maelstrom. I'm sure nobody cares what my opinion is anyway, but frankly, I have really mixed feelings about the whole situation. I always said he retired a year or two too early. As always, I'm sure there's a lot more to the story than we'll ever know.

Here's an interesting timeline per Packers general manager Ted Thompson that was posted on the Journal Sentinel Inc.'s Packers Blog. As it mentions, this wasn't verified on the Favre side.

The following is a timeline provided by Packers general manager Ted Thompson of the off-season dealings with quarterback Brett Favre. All of the information comes from Thompson and several sources close to Favre did not return phone messages seeking verification of Thompson's account.

• Jan. 20, 2008 - The Packers lose in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Both Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy speak briefly to Favre before he returns home to Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Jan. 30 - McCarthy and Favre are both at the Super Bowl media center in Phoenix to collect post-season awards and spent about an hour chatting. The two talk again when McCarthy is at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu and later when McCarthy returns home.
• Feb. 22 - Sometime during the scouting combine Thompson calls Favre because he had heard reports that the quarterback was mad he hadn't called him. "I called him and he said, 'Well I don't know where you're getting that from, because that's not true.'" Thompson said he reassured Favre he was wanted back and told him McCarthy would be the one communicating with him most often.
• Feb. 25 - McCarthy calls Favre on trip back from combine and discusses how he might be able to lesson the quarterback's load and whether Favre can commit 100%.
• Feb. 29 - Favre calls McCarthy and tells him if he had to make a decision now, he would retire. McCarthy tells him to think about it over the weekend and both think Favre will play. "Mike talked to him about, ‘Well, what if we change (reduce) some reps or off-season things' and things like that and he was pretty sure that he wanted to retire."
• March 3 - Favre calls McCarthy at a function in Austin, Texas, and tells him he's retiring. McCarthy asked if he needed more time and he said no. Favre tells him he can't commit 100%. McCarthy flies back to Green Bay.
• March 4 - Thompson, McCarthy and public relations director Jeff Blumb are in Thompson's office and Blumb reaches Favre on his cell phone. "Jeff spoke for a few minutes and then I talked to Brett for I don't know, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, something like that. We got to the point where he wanted to go ahead and make the announcement here and then I think Jeff got back on the phone and then they worked it out that he would come up here and do the press conference."
• March 6 - Favre conducts retirement press conference.
• Week of March 24 - Offensive line coach James Campen, who is visiting Louisiana, stops in to see Favre at his Mississippi home and is asked by Favre whether he thinks the Packers would take him back. Campen reports the conversation to McCarthy and Thompson. McCarthy calls Favre and hears the same things Campen did.
• March 27 - Thompson and McCarthy decide they would be fine with Favre returning even though Aaron Rodgers is set to begin off-season workouts as the starter, and they inform Favre. "Mike said, ‘Ted and I talked and we said, fine.' But we'd like to come see you, and Brett was kind of excited that we were coming to see him." In preparation to leave for the owners meetings in West Palm Beach, March 30-April 3, they arrange to meet with Favre and wife, Deanna.
• March 29 - McCarthy makes plans to fly to Hattiesburg on April 1 to make plans for Favre's return. McCarthy is leaving for evening Mass when Favre calls to inform him he has changed his mind. "We were all set for them, but Brett called back and that he and Deanna had a long talk about it and they were going to stick with their original decision."
• May 6 - Thompson is down South and decides to pay a visit to Favre at his home. "I called him and said I am thinking about seeing you, I don't have any agenda or anything. So I did, I went and visited. Had lunch sat out on the veranda. We had a long talk and good talk. Nothing really came up other than like with any retired player, you could tell there were a few things that he would throw in there; 'there might be some doubts, I may change my mind,' or something like that. And that was that."
• June 8 - Campen goes to Favre's home and has a long talk with Favre and leaves feeling Favre wants to return.
• June 20 -- Favre calls McCarthy and the two have a 45-minute conversation in which Favre tells him he might want to play again. "There was more wondering, you know, what ifs." McCarthy and Thompson go on vacation for the July 4th weekend.
• July 4 - Thompson receives a text message from Favre and sends a message back at about 8 p.m. back telling him he's traveling and can they talk on Monday? "By Monday I hadn't heard back from him. I sent him back a text saying, ‘Haven't heard from ya, hope you're getting these messages, can we talk Tuesday at noon?' He got back to me and said 'OK,' that it would be better sooner, but I was kind of doing some other things so we set up a conference call."
• July 8 - Favre and his agent, James (Bus) Cook ask Thompson for Favre's release during the conference call. It's understood Favre won't be the starter in Green Bay. "There were, I think, conversations with Mike where both parties acknowledged that time had gone by and the Packers had been asked to move on, or move forward, or whatever. That's what they were thinking there (about asking for his release)."
• July 11 - Thompson receives a letter from Favre and Cook formally asking for Favre to be released.