FanHouse Bus Cook

For three weeks or so, Brett Favre's return to the NFL appeared dead.

But as we've come to learn with Favre, things are not always as they seem.

Favre signed a two-year contract with the Vikings for $25 million Tuesday afternoon. He will receive $12 million in base salary this season, if he starts the year on Minnesota's active roster, and $13 million next year.

You simply won't believe this, but it's a day that ends in "y" and there's another Brett Favre/Vikings rumor! It's amazing right? Wrong. It's called "standard operating procedure."

But I guess this one has some meat: a source has informed WCCO's Mark Rosen that, confirming a previous report, Favre and the team have agreed to a deal and that Favre will be at Vikings training camp (they even have a fake Sports Illustrated cover with Favre as a Viking to back it up!).

Word on the street earlier today was that Brett Favre and the Vikings had, GASP, already signed a contract. It was shocking, spicy, etc., and properly panned by Ryan Wilson: it doesn't really matter whether there's a deal in place or not, because at no point in the next six months will we stop talking about Favre.

Seriously, he can even say "I'm retiring 4eva" and it won't matter, because he's said that before. But, it's at least worth mentioning that Mike Florio's scoop was quickly denied this evening by everyone's favorite sports agent, Bus Cook.

Brett Favre is nearing the final stages for a comeback.

ESPN is reporting that the Vikings plan to visit Favre in the next few days to monitor is progress from shoulder surgery.

Bus Cook, Favre's agent, told FanHouse Saturday morning he's not commenting anymore about the quarterback. But when Cook was asked has he seen more drama with Favre than with another client of his, Jay Cutler, who wiggled his way out of Denver, the agent said, "not really."

The Brett Favre retirement saga, now consuming its second straight NFL off-season, basically exists for one reason: Favre is incapable of making up his mind about whether or not he wants to play football. So when Favre's agent told the local newspaper in Favre's Mississippi hometown that Favre is retired now but may not be next week, he was both saying nothing new and succinctly expressing the major reason we'll be talking about this for the next couple months.

This seems about right. Brett Favre, who will outlive us all, showed up at Oak Grove High School (Mississippi) yesterday to throw the ole pigskin around. Just like last summer (and the four before that), right before he unretired, made life miserable for Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy, and worked a trade to the Jets.

The Favre rumors change daily, but other than agent Bus Cook, no one "close to the situation" is willing to say much on the record. Which is why somebody at ESPN thought it would be a swell idea to get Oak Grove quarterback James McMahon on the horn to talk about watching Favre throw a football. Video is after the jump.

The rumors of Brett Favre returning to the NFL are just that according to the quarterback's agent Bus Cook. Cook said he doesn't know if Favre has spoken with Vikings coach Brad Childress or anyone else, but to the best of his knowledge, nothing is happening.

"As far as I know, Brett Favre is still retired," Cook said Thursday afternoon. "If he does decide he wants to play, he can still play at a high level."

Cook said he hasn't spoken with any team regarding Favre's possible comeback.

"ESPN wanted to unretire him, now I see Yahoo has something," Cook said. "Could [Favre] change his mind? I don't know."

ESPN and various media outlets have Brett Favre talking with Vikings coach Brad Childress about something.

Many speculate it's about coming out of retirement. Favre's agent Bus Cook told Fanhouse last week that we could stick a fork in Favre and that the only way the quarterback would return would be to win another championship. If that's the case, the Vikings are not that much better with Favre as their quarterback. The beasts of the NFC are the Giants and Eagles. (But that's another story for another day.)

Favre's returning could embarrass him. The fact is that Favre is an old quarterback. He turns 40 in October and old quarterbacks don't win Super Bowls unless they have plenty of help.

According to agent Bus Cook, no one has called Brett Favre to talk him into playing in 2009.

That seems plausible. Last spring, approximately 45 minutes* after announcing his retirement, Favre promptly took it back, forced the Packers to trade him to the Jets, where he looked every bit the 39-year-old, 17-year veteran on the downside of a great career.

New York waived Favre off the retired list last week, which could mean nothing. Or, since this is the ole gunslinger we're talking about, everything. Apparently, Wrangler jeans' favorite spokesperson can also hold a grudge. Via the New York Daily News' Gary Myers:

There is this story out of the Twin Cities today that says Brett Favre has hired a personal trainer and is planning a comeback. Or at least that's the rumor.

Favre retired a few weeks ago from the Jets and his agent Bus Cook told FanHouse that nobody, and we mean nobody, has called asking for the legendary quarterback to return.