GREEN BAY — One of the greatest careers in NFL history ended Tuesday morning not only with all the pomp, circumstance and wall-to-wall TV coverage befitting a sporting legend like Brett Favre, but also with a surprising dose of controversy.

The Green Bay Packers iconic quarterback informed the team of his intent to retire amid talk that he could have been convinced to return for an 18th NFL season had Packers general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy lobbied him harder to come back, or had the club signed wide receiver Randy Moss.

After the initial news broke of Favre's retirement, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported on the network's First Take program that Favre informed McCarthy of his decision shortly after New England wide receiver Randy Moss re-upped with the Patriots, signing a three-year, $27 million contract.

Favre had pushed hard for the Packers to trade for Moss last offseason, but the Oakland Raiders sent him to New England instead.

Favre criticized Thompson at the time for not making the deal, and sources said in the wake of the trade that Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, went to the Packers and told them his client wanted to be traded.

Favre later denied demanding a trade. Mortensen reported that Favre had once again pushed for Moss to join the Packers, and that Favre had spoken to Moss late last week and was willing to commit to return for more than just this season if Moss and the Packers could come to an agreement.

But the Packers did not pursue Moss, who then re-signed with the Patriots.

After Mortensen's report Tuesday morning, Favre called Mortensen and left him a lengthy voicemail backtracking on the idea that Moss would have factored into his decision.

"This is not about the Packers and who they got or who they didn't get," Favre said in the voicemail. "I get along fine with (Thompson) and I get along great with (McCarthy). Do I agree with them all the time? No. But the bottom line is, none of that stuff affected my decision."

On Tuesday, both Thompson and McCarthy said they felt they had made it crystal clear to Favre that they wanted him to return.

"Our approach was the same as it was last year at this time," Thompson said. "Mike kind of stayed in constant contact, and I would make sure I stayed in touch from time to time. We felt like it was important for Brett to make this decision for Brett, not to be badgered. He doesn't want to be talked into doing something one way or the other.

"He wants to know, 'Can I still play and do you want me?' (Our answers were) 'Yes' and 'yes.' After that he has to make the decision beyond that. But we felt like the communication lines were open, and we felt like we gave him enough space to be able to make the right decision for him.

"This man is 38 years old. He's been playing in a very difficult environment for 17 years. He understands that we know that he can play. He understands that he's 'our guy,' for want of a better word. He has to make that decision. Those are his hours that he has to spend worrying about this or concerned about this, the preparation, all the things that lead up to it. The three hours of the game, I think he's fine with. And I'm not saying he wouldn't do the other stuff, it's just that after a while it takes a toll, and based on my conversation with him and Mike's conversation with him, he feels like that's enough paying of the toll. That's just the way it was relayed to me. So for me to be presumptuous enough to talk a grown man into making a life-changing decision that he's already made is wrong."

As for the Moss issue, both Thompson and McCarthy said Favre never directly expressed to them his desire to add Moss.

"Never one time in all the conversations we've had since the season ended did any player acquisition come up as a topic," McCarthy said.

Asked if Favre would have come back if the club had signed Moss, Thompson replied, "I can't speak to that. It was never brought up in any of my conversations with Brett. He likes this team, he respects this team. He was a very good teammate to some people that were half his age or close to it. And that's not an easy thing to do. I can't explain all the things that you're getting at there, but Brett is a good teammate and he likes this team and I think he appreciates this team."

However, two of Favre's former teammates said that if his feelings about Moss were true, Favre would owe his current receivers — Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, Koren Robinson and Shaun Bodiford — an apology.

"If I'm a receiver, and I'm getting ready for the offseason, and I read that one of the parameters of him coming back was getting Randy Moss, and now they don't get Randy Moss and now (he's) going to retire, I don't know if I would feel real good about that," former Packers safety LeRoy Butler said. "If you're Donald Driver, what are you thinking? I'm hoping there's nothing to the Randy Moss thing."

Former Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman, who caught more touchdown passes (57) from Favre than any other player, agreed.

"I have a problem with it, because in the years I played with Brett, Brett's not a name-dropper," Freeman said. "I mean, he won a Super Bowl with Antonio Freeman, a third-round draft pick who was a punt returner (the year before).

"If that's true, if Favre wanted Moss (and retired because he didn't get him), that's a slap in the face to Greg Jennings, an up-and-coming superstar in this league. That's a slap in the face to James Jones. That's a slap in the face to Donald Driver. I don't think that Brett wants to slap those guys in the face.

"I hope it's not true. I hope it's just his agent saying that. Because, I hate to discredit Bus, but I've played with Brett, I dropped passes from him. And he never threw me under the bus. That's the Brett I know. I don't know a Brett that would say, like a baby, 'I need Randy Moss and if I don't get him, I'm going to take my ball and go home.' I don't know that guy."