If nothing else, Green Bay Packers quarterback-in-waiting Aaron Rodgers has a great sense of timing.

Rodgers, who has been operating under the assumption that he's two months away from replacing Packers legend Brett Favre, picked a good time to cram his foot into his mouth.

A day after he verbally dismissed Packers fans with this hard-to-believe quote — "I don't feel I need to sell myself to the fans. They need to get on board now or keep their mouths shut." — in a Sports Illustrated story, Rodgers was allowed to wiggle off the public-relations hook by none other than Favre himself.

Though it looked like Rodgers finally had grown tired of the Favre comparisons and snapped, he insists the reporter condensed, massaged or flat-out mangled the quote beyond recognition.

Not that it matters anymore.

Packers fans, outraged when the quote hit the newspapers, have probably forgotten about it by now. That's because Favre — who else? — is in the news again. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Wednesday that Favre, who sobbed uncontrollably when he announced his retirement on March 4, has regained his desire to play and wants to return for an 18th NFL season.

Mortensen's source said Favre is miserable and informed the Packers of his change of heart two weeks ago.

He wants back in or wants to be released so he can play for another team.

Of course, nothing makes headlines in Wisconsin faster than another Favre un-retirement rumor.

However, this one seems to have more teeth than the half-dozen or so that have surfaced since March.

Still, there was little reason to doubt Favre's sincerity during his tearful retirement session.

Although he said he thought he could still play at a high level, a red flag if ever there was one, those in attendance had no doubt that Favre had grown weary of the daily grind after 16 seasons as the starting quarterback in Green Bay.

We should have anticipated, however, that Favre would do what he did the last three or four years.

He hinted at retirement after each season, but went home to Mississippi and changed his mind after discovering that:

A) his family still wants him to play, and

B) all he does is play football and his life is empty without it.

From the tone of the reports that have surfaced since March, reports that now make more sense, Favre apparently has come to the conclusion that he misses football too much to quit now.

If true, that could put general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy in a tremendous bind. Clearly, they have turned the page from Favre to Rodgers, in some cases so much so that it appeared they were discouraging Favre from even thinking about returning.

The Packers have completed their preparations for training camp, which starts in a month, and have stated repeatedly that this is now Rodgers' team.

To render the entire offseason null and void at this late date would be at best disruptive and at worst a fatal distraction for a playoff-caliber team.

Mortensen said as much when he reported that the Packers were reluctant to open the door for Favre's return.

But what if Favre forces the team's hand and insists on coming back to Green Bay or getting his release and playing elsewhere?

A recurring theme among great players in sports is that their careers end with strained relations between them and their franchises.

Dan Marino was squeezed out in Miami.

Same for Troy Aikman in Dallas.

The San Francisco Giants want nothing to do with Barry Bonds, baseball's all-time home run king.

If Mortensen's report is true, Favre's career in Green Bay could end badly, too.

The Packers don't want him back at this point, yet they can't release him and let him go to another team without creating a public-relations nightmare.

Think about it. What would the reaction be if Favre came to Lambeau Field for the regular-season opener as the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings?

If he came into Lambeau and beat the Packers — with the Vikings or any other team — there wouldn't be enough tar and feathers in Wisconsin for Thompson and McCarthy.

It's possible the Packers could trade Favre to some team they don't play. However, what would happen if the unproven Rodgers failed while Favre was playing well somewhere else?

Once again, the Packers brass would have a lot of explaining to do. Clearly, this is a sensitive issue for the Packers.

More sensitive, it turns out, than Rodgers' wayward quote.

Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172.