Packers send Favre packing

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GREEN Bay, Wis. - All along, the New York Jets were the team most interested in Brett Favre, even amid reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the verge of reaching a deal with the Green Bay Packers for the quarterback's services. Late Wednesday night the Packers and Jets agreed to a trade that would send the quarterback to New York for an undisclosed draft pick, an NFL source confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The trade was first reported by FOXSports.com and announced by the Packers about an hour after the story first broke. The NFL source did not have exact details of the pick the Jets were expected to hand over to the Packers, but he said it is based on performance, which means it will increase in value the better Favre - or possibly the Jets - play this season. Sports Illustrated reported the high end of the compensation was a first-round pick, which the source said also was his understanding. However, it's unclear exactly what would have to occur for the Packers to receive the high pick. The low end of the compensation is a third-round pick, SI reported. The NFL Network reported that the pick would start as a fourth-rounder. In confirming the trade, the Packers released a joint statement from general manager Ted Thompson and president Mark Murphy: "Brett has had a long and storied career in Green Bay, and the Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything he accomplished on the field and for the impact he made in the state. It is with some sadness that we make this announcement, but also with the desire for certainty that will allow us to move the team and organization forward in the most positive way possible. "We respect Brett's decision that he could no longer remain here as a Packer. But there were certain things we were not willing to do because they were not in the best interest of the team. We were not going to release him nor trade him to a team within the division. When Brett ultimately decided that he still wanted to play football, but not in Green Bay, we told him that we would work to find the best solution for all parties involved. We wish Brett and his family well. "We appreciate the tremendous passion shown by our fans. We, like them, always will see Brett Favre as a Green Bay Packer and our respect for him never will change. Moving forward, we are dedicated to delivering a successful 2008 season for all Packers fans." The Packers were engaged in talks with Tampa Bay and New York all through the day, but their attention was mostly on the Jets, who long ago showed a strong interest in acquiring Favre. The Jets' offer was stronger than Tampa Bay's, and it was a matter of Favre agreeing to join the team. The trade comes a little more than 24 hours after Favre and coach Mike McCarthy met for two hours at Lambeau Field to see if there was any chance they could salvage their relationship. However, McCarthy felt Favre was too upset with the Packers over the events of the past several months and could not move on and be a productive member of the team. The 38-year-old Favre is joining a team where he is older than Mangini (37), offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer (34) and quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll (33). He also will be going to the AFC East where he will compete against MVP winner Tom Brady of the New England Patriots twice a year. The Jets do not play the Packers this season. The Jets are scheduled to play the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night in Cleveland, so it's likely Favre won't report to the team until at least Friday. The Jets are only $6.5 million under the salary cap, so they're going to have to restructure Favre's $12 million base salary so that it fits into their cap. The Jets are expected to cut quarterback Chad Pennington to clear room for Favre. The Jets assume all three years of the deal at $12 million in 2008, $13 million in '09 and $14 million in '10.