Tampa Bay Not At Top Of Favre's Wish List

In a saga that becomes muddier by the day, one thing became crystal clear Sunday: A trade to the Bucs is not at the top of Brett Favre's wish list.

During a conversation with Packers general manager Ted Thompson - the details of which were revealed on ESPN.com - Favre said he is open to a trade but asked that the field of teams be expanded.

That doesn't mean Favre would not accept a trade to Tampa Bay or to the Jets, the other team mentioned most prominently as a Packers trade partner. But it does mean Favre has other teams he'd rather play for.

The Vikings still are believed to be at the top of that list but the Packers have all but ruled out a trade to an NFC North rival. As a result, the situation has reached an impasse. And it could stay that way, at least for a while.

Despite pressure from family and friends to make his next move now, Favre said he is planning to comply with Thompson's request to stay away from Packers camp until at least Tuesday.

Thompson is hoping to find a solution to the problem before then but he may have a hard time doing that without first expanding the field of trade partners and then dropping his asking price.

That pick is currently believed to be a conditional pick that could become a No. 1 selection based on Favre's performance and/or the success of the team he is traded to.

The news came as Jeff Garcia was said by the Bucs to be preparing to join the team in time for today's morning workout at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Garcia was given the first two days of camp off to attend a reunion with his father and the Bucs are legitimately concerned about how the Favre talks will affect him should he remain their starter.

That's the chief reason Bucs general manager Bruce Allen has steered away from direct contact with Thompson in recent days. Another is Favre's hesitancy to file for reinstatement.

The Bucs have decided internally not to even seriously discuss a potential trade for Favre with the Packers until Favre has committed to playing the 2008 season.