GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers, driven to the brink of desperation in their ongoing spat with Brett Favre, have discussed internally the possibility of trading the quarterback within the NFC North Division.

A source close to the situation told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday that the Packers were considering seeking a deal with one of their division rivals, most probably the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears, if backed into a corner by the NFL and public sentiment.

On Monday, general manager Ted Thompson said flatly that the Packers would not trade Favre within the division.

But having no prospects of trading Favre anywhere else and under increasing pressure from Commissioner Roger Goodell, the Packers are considering doing almost the unthinkable: not only trading Favre, but also to the Vikings, a team that will be their opponent Sept. 8 on opening night at Lambeau Field.

An NFL source said he understood from the Packers that trading within the NFC North would be a last resort. They still hope to persuade Favre to be amenable to what the team regards as realistic trade possibilities with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.

Although it has appeared to be quiet on the trading front in the last week, a deal with either team is far from dead. The Packers have had ongoing talks with both teams as recently as this week.

However, Favre has frustrated the Packers by refusing to speak with officials from the Buccaneers or Jets. That makes it almost impossible for the deal to materialize.

The Packers remain adamant about not releasing Favre. With Goodell expected to act on Favre's request for reinstatement as soon as today, the Packers clearly don't want him in Green Bay and are running out of options.

Yesterday, Packers President Mark Murphy met with James "Bus" Cook, Favre's agent, at Cook's law office in Hattiesburg, Miss., for about eight hours. The source said a central reason why Murphy went to Hattiesburg in the first place was that Goodell put heavy pressure on him to make the trip.

WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported that during the meeting, Murphy presented Favre and Cook with an offer in which the Packers would compensate Favre in the area of $20 million for the next 10 years in order to remain retired.

According to a source familiar with both sides, this was not the first time that the two sides had discussed a financial arrangement that would tie Favre to the organization for years to come. It is thought that the discussions began as early as a few months ago.

It remains unclear whether the offer was made shortly after Favre retired or when he began expressing a desire to play football again.

If the offer was made, in some people's opinion it might reflect poorly on the organization and general manager Ted Thompson, who is in charge of football decisions. Some might interpret it as the Packers trying to buy off their Hall of Fame player.

Favre, who worked out yesterday morning at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, participated in the meeting with Murphy for several hours before leaving without comment.

When Murphy left several hours later, he had a frustrated expression on his face and also declined to comment.

In a statement issued last night, Murphy says: "We discussed a number of topics not related to football, including Brett's long-term relationship with the Packers. I consider our conversation to be confidential, and am going to be respectful of Brett and his family and keep the details private.

"Ted and Mike (McCarthy) and I are going to continue to work on the football side of this issue. They have my full support."

Later, Cook emerged and was asked about Murphy.

"I don't know about all that," Cook said. "When you're doing negotiations there's ups and downs. I can't speak for Mark's feelings."

Cook went on to say that if Favre was reinstated today, it was a "very good possibility" that he would report tomorrow. The Packers don't practice today, work twice tomorrow and once Saturday before holding their intra-squad scrimmage Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

"There's nothing that says he has to be there at a certain time," Cook said. "Except for the fact that once he's reinstated the Packers are practicing.

"Will they cut him? Will they trade him? I don't know."

Cook said he and Favre hadn't talked to any teams that might have expressed interest in a trade.

"He'd love to go back to Green Bay," Cook said. "That's why he started working out. But right now it looks like he'll be the quarterback at Oak Grove High School."

The New York Jets wanted to talk to Favre, but their efforts were rebuffed by Favre, the source said. The Jets appear to have little hopes of luring Favre.

The Vikings plan to start Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback, with Gus Frerotte and Brooks Bollinger in relief. The Bears have Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman competing for the job.

Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the NFL, said Goodell took no action on Favre's request for reinstatement yesterday.

"He wants to give both the Packers and Brett an appropriate amount of time to make decisions, including decisions impacting the team's roster and salary cap," Aiello said.