Former Packers safety Leroy Butler is convinced that former Packers quarterback Brett Favre wants to play.

And Butler thinks it will only be a matter of time before Brett makes it known that he’s ready to return.

So says Butler in an interview with WTMJ in Milwaukee. 

Butler speculates that, once Brett says he wants to play, the Packers likely won’t welcome him back.  So then the question becomes whether he gets traded to another team.

That’s where Butler’s theory falls apart.  He mentions the other NFC North teams — Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit — as the possible destinations for Favre.

There’s no way that the Packers would trade him to any of those teams.  In fact, it’s possible that the Packers won’t trade him to anyone.

But Brett still has some leverage in this regard.  He can show up at pretty much any time before the late November/early December deadline for coming off the reserve/retired list and say, “I’m here.  Deal with me.”

If the Packers decide they don’t want him, they’ll either have to trade him or release him.  And if they release him before the trade deadline, he becomes an unrestricted free agent, and can play for any team.