GREEN BAY -- If Brett Favre wants to unretire again so he can go quarterback the Minnesota Vikings, he has Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy's blessing.

 Asked following Friday's first day of the annual post-draft rookie orientation camp if he cares if Favre goes and plays for the NFC North division rival Vikings, McCarthy replied, "If Brett wants to play football, he should play football. That's really my stance on it. If he still wants to play, he should take advantage of his opportunities."

 Favre, who was officially released by the New York Jets on Tuesday after retiring for the second time on Feb. 11, remains retired but is a free agent and can sign with any team if he once again gets the "itch" to play. Some believe that if he plays, he'll end up with the Vikings, whom he had hoped to play for last year.

 As he began mulling a comeback following his first retirement in March 2008, Favre exchanged phone calls and text messages with Vikings head coach Brad Childress, a former University of Wisconsin assistant whom Favre has known since the Badgers coaches would visit Packers training camp, and Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, a former UW quarterback who coached for the Packers from 2000 through 2005.

 The NFL cleared the Vikings last year of any wrongdoing after the Packers accused them of tampering. As part of the August 2008 trade that sent Favre to the Jets, the Packers included a clause that would have forced the Jets to pay them three first-round draft picks if New York traded Favre to an NFC North team. But with the Jets having released Favre, the Packers cannot prevent him from joining the Vikings.

 At the Vikings' rookie minicamp, Childress said the team has yet to discuss Favre's availability but acknowledged that the club will do so at some point. The Vikings currently have Sage Rosenfels, Tarvaris Jackson and John David Booty at quarterback.

 “We haven’t (talked about Favre). It doesn’t mean we won’t,” Childress said. “We talk about everything from what’s going on in the United States on the front page today. … We talk about everything. So, yeah, I’m sure we’ll talk about that.”

 Childress said he and his staff have been so busy to this point that Favre simply hasn’t come up.

 “I think the thing there is we’ve had our heads down so hard here on the draft and then after the draft signing free agents and after that getting ready for this minicamp,” Childress said. ”I go through the waiver wire every night. (But) we haven’t really even had a chance to even talk about that. Our focus has been on the guys we sign and getting ready for this (rookie minicamp) and then just finishing up the draft stuff.”

 Asked when the last time he talked to Favre was, Childress replied, “Like I said, I haven’t had time to do much ... I’m more focused on the guys that are here, participate in the offseason program. I’m more focused on our three quarterbacks right now. Tarvaris and Sage and J.D. that are progressing through this program and our offseason program.”