Clock Ticks On Packers' Dispute With Favre

As the Green Bay Packers sorted through their trade options for Brett Favre, time was running short for them to try to resolve their dispute with the retired quarterback before training camp begins this weekend.

Executives with other teams said they still regarded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers as the teams most likely to acquire Favre if the Packers trade him. The Packers are scheduled to report to training camp Sunday and practice Monday, and several people familiar with the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said club officials were doing all they could to settle the matter before then.

Tampa Bay has been regarded as the front-runner within league circles because Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden is a former Packers assistant and runs a version of the West Coast offense to which Favre could adapt easily. Gruden also is known as a coach who loves to collect quarterbacks.

A recent report said Favre doesn't want to practice and play in the Florida heat, and he could in effect block any trade by refusing to come out of retirement. But the Buccaneers were in the playoffs last season, and some in the league believe Gruden could persuade Favre to play.

Buccaneers General Manager Bruce Allen has refused to comment publicly about Favre, citing the league's anti-tampering rules. But Allen, according to a report in the St. Petersburg Times, asked quarterback Chris Simms how Simms thought Favre might fit in with the club.

The Panthers could turn to Favre with starter Jake Delhomme working his way back from elbow surgery. The Packers seem adamant they won't allow Favre to play for a division rival such as the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears.

The NFL reportedly has begun its investigation of the tampering allegation levied against the Vikings by the Packers for improper contact with Favre. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that members of the league's security staff interviewed Vikings officials Tuesday at team headquarters.

Hester Holds Out

Devin Hester skipped Chicago's first training camp practice.

"I'm not coming," Hester told the Chicago Tribune in a telephone interview. "I have to make a statement. I showed by going to [organized team activities] that I was a team player. But then, I just felt like they weren't taking it seriously that I wanted to get a new deal."

The Pro Bowl kick returner, who also played wide receiver last season, has two years remaining on his initial deal. . . .

Wide receiver Marques Colston agreed to a three-year extension that could keep him in New Orleans through the 2011 season, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said. . . .

Seventh-round pick Caleb Campbell will not be allowed to play for Detroit. Army policy issued in 2005 would have allowed the West Point graduate to serve as a recruiter if he made the team, but a subsequent Defense Department policy has superseded it. . . .

Rams defensive end Claude Wroten was suspended without pay for the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.