GREEN BAY -- If a broadcast report turns out to be true, the Green Bay Packers' desperation over the Brett Favre situation will have hit an all-time high. Or low, depending on your perspective.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell chose not to rule on soon-to-be unretired Favre's reinstatement application Wednesday, in hopes that Favre and his current -- or possibly former -- team could reach some sort of accord in their continuing standoff.

After flying to Hattiesburg, Miss., late Tuesday night, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy spent almost nine hours meeting Wednesday with Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, and several news outlets reported that part of the negotiations included the idea of paying Favre to stay home.

Citing sources familiar with the talks between Murphy and Cook, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported that Murphy offered Favre a financial package -- $20 million over the next 10 years -- to stay retired. The Green Bay Press-Gazette later reported on its Web site that a source close to Favre said the team "raised the possibility" of paying Favre a substantial salary to stay retired.
 
If the WTMJ-TV report proves true, "the PR hit would be disastrous," a league source said Wednesday night.

Talk of the financial settlement offer spread along the sideline at practice Wednesday night, prompting coach Mike McCarthy to open his post-practice sideline briefing shortly after 9 p.m. by by saying, "Breaking news from practice, huh? I don't have any information, I'll just be up front about it. I haven't talked to Mark Murphy, so (the public-relations staff) just told me about the story that's out there. I don't have anything for you. I wish I did."

Murphy, who did not speak to reporters gathered at Austin Straubel airport awaiting his arrival, then released the following statement about 20 minutes later: "I was in Hattiesburg today and had a nice visit with Brett Favre. We discussed a number of topics not related to football, including Bret…

GREEN BAY -- If you've read our Milwaukee Talks conversation with Aaron Rodgers, you know the Green Bay Packers' new starting quarterback enjoys the occasional "Law & Order" rerun.

Well, he and his teammates are about to find out that TNT isn't the only place that knows drama. Packers training camp is on the verge of a marathon episode of it.

What has to be the organization's nightmare scenario is one step closer to happening after retired-for-now quarterback Brett Favre faxed his reinstatement paperwork into the NFL offices in New York while practice was going on on Tuesday. The league later confirmed receiving it around 5 p.m. Eastern time.

"That's obviously the first step of Brett coming back," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. "So we'll deal with that when he's reinstated and we'll definitely have a plan in order. We'll address everything as far as the details of how Brett Favre fits into our future plans when he arrives here in Green Bay.

"Brett Favre is still a very good football player. He's an asset to our football team. The plans for Brett Favre will be discussed with Brett Favre first and then we'll make it aware to the public.

"There are no ill feelings toward Brett Favre and he will be welcome back in our locker room."

Maybe not. A team source said late Tuesday night that the team had chartered a private jet to fly president Mark Murphy down to Hattiesburg, Miss., where he will meet with Favre and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, at Cook's office this morning in an effort to dissuade Favre from coming to Green Bay.

The flight departed Green Bay's Austin Straubel airport at 9:33 p.m. and arrived in Hattiesburg shortly before midnight.

When Favre filed his paperwork, the Packers released an official statement, which read simply, "We have been advised that a letter of reinstatement has been received by the league office. As with all matters like these, any questions should be referred to the Commissioner's …

Good God, you're coming up with reasons
Good God, you're dragging it out
Good God, it's the changing of the seasons
Whoa, you're such a (expletive) hypocrite.

-- "Fake It," by Seether

My buddy, Pete Schwaba, e-mailed the other day from California. He's a hotshot Hollywood screenwriter -- he loves it when I call him that -- and he's got a knack for writing just the right thing. Born in Chicago, raised in Wisconsin and having written, directed and starred in "The Godfather of Green Bay" and co-written "A Guy Thing," the man has a way with words.

So when he dropped me a note about the ongoing Brett Favre unretirement saga, he knocked it out of the e-mail park.

Unbelievable.

That was it. One word. Summed it up pretty well, I thought.

And now, it's really unbelievable.

News of Favre's "itch" to play football again broke a little less than two weeks ago -- and a little less than four months after his tearful farewell news conference -- causing a seismic shift in the Wisconsin sports landscape.

But the story broke wide open on Friday, when the Packers received a letter from Favre and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, asking for his unconditional release, followed by news that Favre had actually informed the Packers of his plans to unretire in late March, only to renege on the plans.

The Packers will not -- under any circumstances -- honor Favre's request for an outright release, preferring instead to trade him, two NFL sources said.

The Packers had decided to move on in the wake of Favre reneging on plans to unretire in late March. According to two NFL sources, Favre informed the Packers during the annual NFL meetings -- less than a month after his tearful March 6 retirement press conference -- that he wanted to play again.

At the time, both Packers coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson told Favre they would welcome him back, and plans were made for him to return, including chartering a plane to go to M…

While Rascal Flatts enjoyed top billing for Monday night's Marcus Amphitheater show at Summerfest, it was hard to tell how much of the crowd was there for them, and how much of it was for the opening act, teen sensation Taylor Swift.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I did not know who Taylor Swift was before the show. I was under the mistaken impression she was a product of the "American Idol" machine.)

After watching the entire crowd -- including the three 'tween-agers in front of me standing on their chairs with their Taylor T-shirts and pink digital cameras (who filled me in on Taylor's bio after her set) -- rise to its feet when the 18-year-old burgeoning star was introduced, I realized the boys who sing "Bless the Broken Road" and "Life Is A Highway" might not have been the sole reason ticket brokers were getting $500 or more for prime ducats before the show.

"This is a song I wrote in ninth grade for a talent show," Swift, clad in a sparkly sequined sundress, informed us non-Taylorites before belting out, "Our Song," her first No. 1 hit.

It elicited a "We love you Taylor!" in-unison squeal from my obstructed-view seat creators, who also waved at Swift a half-dozen or so times during her 45-minute set.

Later, Swift sang "Should've Said No," a song about "a guy who cheated on me" and shouldn't have "because I write songs" and his infidelity is now a matter of public musical record. The grudge-songwriting quickly became a theme.

The line "You should've said no, and you might still have me," seemed to resonate with the youngsters in the crowd, despite their presumably limited exposure to relationship problems. Swift's drumming on upside-down metal trashcans with her fiddle player also went over well.

Swift, who lives with her parents, Scott and Andrea, and her brother, Austin, in Hendersonville, Tenn. (or so I learned from Wikipedia during the show), also sang "Tim McGraw," her first single, during which she requested he…