MILWAUKEE -- If Brett Favre plans to show for the Green Bay Packers' training camp, he'll need permission from the NFL. And as of Friday afternoon there was no sign he had petitioned the league for reinstatement.
A person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press that the letter, which must be filed with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, had not been received as of late Friday afternoon. The person requested anonymity because league and team officials were withholding comment until Favre actually filed his letter.
The step is considered a formality, but an important one: Favre can't return until Goodell receives and approves the request.
The NFL Network reported Friday morning that Favre told Packers general manager Ted Thompson he plans to report to training camp and could file his reinstatement letter as early as Friday, a move perhaps designed to force the team to quickly trade the three-time MVP.
Speculation on a potential new home for Favre has centered on Tampa Bay, but the New York Jets also are emerging as a potential trade partner for the Packers. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington said Friday that general manager Mike Tannenbaum told him the team has talked to the Packers about Favre.
It didn't sound like Tannenbaum assured Pennington that the Jets aren't interested.
"Bottom line, an organization has to take a look at every player available in this league. Period," Pennington said. "A general manager and a head coach is going to do everything they can do to make their team as good as they can make it. That's their job."
Tannenbaum would not confirm conversations with the Packers.
Pennington, who already is competing with Kellen Clemens for the starting job in Jets camp, said he wasn't overreacting to the Jets' potential trade for Favre.
"My whole focus is on this camp," Pennington said. "Winning this starting quarterback battle, so I don't really have any thoughts. It's part of the business: speculation, calls, one organization calling another about players. There's nothing to be said. As a player, you never react until it's actually done."
Earlier Friday, Jets coach Eric Mangini dodged questions about the team's interest in Favre.
"I'm happy with the quarterbacks we have and we look at a lot of different scenarios every night," Mangini said. "And trust me when I tell you that we look into a lot of different scenarios every night. It's just normal operating procedure for us."
That's just about the only thing normal in the ongoing saga surrounding Favre's football future. And if he follows through with his intention to show up to camp, Favre would likely become an even bigger distraction to a team that's spent the past several offseasons dealing with his constant waffling on whether to retire.
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