By Dan Arkush
July 25, 2008

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Brett Favre is ready to report to the Packers' training camp and could file for reinstatement into the NFL via a letter to commissioner Roger Goodell before the day runs out. The signals remain mixed, however, as to whether or not Favre will be sticking with the Packers, who continue insisting they have no plans to release Favre from a contract that runs through 2010, or heading to another team in a trade before the weekend runs its course.

With Goodell greasing the wheels, sources indicate that trade talks with a handful of teams have intensified. Word is the best-case scenario for the Packers would be for at least two genuinely serious Favre suitors to emerge, which would figure to up the ante the Packers would receive in exchange for Favre. Two teams that have been mentioned prominently in media reports are Tampa Bay and the New York Jets, but sources say the Panthers and the Ravens also could be in the running.

The PFW spin

Considering the alternatives, as PFW has speculated all along, the best bet for a new Favre landing spot continues to be Tampa Bay, the team that appears best-suited at present to fill two major requirements for Favre: (1) a team with a shot at the Super Bowl, and (2) a location that Favre would be comfortable moving his family to.

Among the aforementioned teams in this article, Carolina would be the next-best bet, followed in order by Baltimore and the Jets. The likelihood of Favre and his family landing in New York seems far-fetched, although the Jets have been among the most active teams this offseason in free agency and appear committed to making a quantum leap this season. If Favre were to play for the Bucs, he would remain relatively close to his native Mississippi, which would appear to be a strong selling point.

But there remains a very strong possibility that the Packers could hold off on making a deal until camp injuries elsewhere perhaps produce a potential new entry in the Favre sweepstakes. In any event, it would hardly be surprising at this point if another big-time bombshell is driopped in the "Favregate" saga within the next 24 to 48 hours.