Timeline: Favre and the Vikings

March 2008: After years of hemming and hawing about his future, Favre retires in a tearful news conference. He says: "I am officially retiring from the NFL and the Green Bay Packers. ... It is on my terms. Which is a good way to go out."

Summer 2008: After deciding he still wants to play, Favre's relationship with Green Bay disintegrates. Favre attempts to force his way to the Vikings, but the Packers trade him to the Jets in a nasty divorce. Favre says: "My interest at first ... was to stay within the division. [But] I'm here to help the Jets win."

Feb. 11: After leading the Jets to a 9-7 season, Favre retires again in large part because of a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm that hampered him near the end of the season. The Jets place Favre on the reserve/retire list. ESPN reports that Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said Favre did not ask to be released, even though there are reports to the contrary.

April 28: Jets release Favre from reserve/retired list after drafting Mark Sanchez with the fifth-overall pick of the draft. Favre releases a statement that reads: "Bus [Cook, who is Favre's agent] and Mike have been talking about this for a while. Nothing has changed. At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football."

April 29: Cook tells ESPN.com that Favre has no plans to end his retirement. "He's retired, he doesn't have any desire to come back, and that's the way it is with Brett," Cook said. "He's mowing his grass. He's working on his farm. He enjoys that stuff." Cook said he made his initial request for Favre to be released after the season as just "the order of business," adding, "Brett wants to retire as a Packer and that's just part of it."

May 1: Asked about the fact Favre is free to sign with the Vikings, coach Brad Childress says: "We haven't [talked about Brett Favre]. It doesn't mean we won't. 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."

May 4: Favre says in a text message to ESPN's Trent Dilfer that he will not consider playing in 2009.

May 5: ESPN reports that Favre and Childress will meet at an undisclosed location later in the week to discuss the possibility of Favre playing in Minnesota. The report also says that there is a mutual understanding that sometime soon after the meeting, Favre will decide whether to sign with the Vikings and that Childress would expect him to participate in the offseason minicamp.

May 6: The Star Tribune reports that Childress would leave that night to go and visit with Favre. A sources also says that Favre is agreeable to undergoing a minor surgical procedure to repair his partially torn biceps tendon.

May 7: After Childress does not leave town, Yahoo! Sports reports Favre called Childress "sometime in the last day" to tell him he would remain retired. Yahoo! cites a source close to the team. Said Cook: "Like anyone else he could change his mind in the future about retiring, but I haven't heard anything from him that that's the case."

May 8: A source tells ESPN that X-rays of Favre's right shoulder had been sent to the Vikings and that they were in the process of being evaluated. Per the report: If Favre and the team determine he needs anything less than "major" surgery on his shoulder, he will play this season. But if he needs "major" surgery he won't come out of retirement.

May 10: J.D. Simpson, a friend of Favre's and the team chaplain for Oak Grove High School, tells the Star Tribune that Favre threw to the team's receivers as recently as May 4.

May 11: Vikings President Mark Wilf tells a luncheon crowd in Marshall, Minn., that "Sure there is interest in Brett Favre, but that's part of the process in general." Adds Wilf in a discussion with media members: "Certainly a player of Brett Favre's [caliber], a Hall of Fame quarterback, with the competitiveness he has, that is a player that we would have interest [in] as we would have in other players."

May 14: ESPN reports that Favre has consulted with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews about his options regarding his partially torn biceps tendon. ESPN, citing an unnamed source, says that Andrews and Favre experimented with one of several exercises that could "accelerate the process of the tendon releasing on its own."

May 19: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admits he does not know if Favre filed his retirement papers following his most recent retirement.

May 21: Given numerous opportunities to end the ongoing speculation that Favre will wind up with the Vikings, Childress does no such thing. "You're always interested in investigating," said Childress, admitting to having had phone conversations with Favre. "I'll stand by what I said last time [he met with the media on May 1]. That you discuss it, you're interested in going through the process. And are you interested in a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback? You're always interested in going through the process and discussing it and investigating it. ... It was worth a conversation and as far as I know he's still retired."

May 26: Former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, says he wants Favre to play for the Vikings. "I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail," Tarkenton tells an Atlanta radio station. Adds Tarkenton: "I think it's despicable."

June 5: Asked if there a deadline for Favre to decide whether he will come out of retirement, Childress said: "I'm not even thinking about that right now. I'm thinking about the next four OTAs next week."

June 7: ESPN reports Favre underwent arthroscopic surgery last month to repair his right shoulder but remains unable to make a commitment because subsequent throwing sessions indicate the shoulder is not yet 100 percent.

June 7: ESPN reports Favre underwent arthroscopic surgery last month to repair his right shoulder but remains unable to make a commitment because subsequent throwing sessions indicate the shoulder is not yet 100 percent.

June 8: ESPN reports that Childress has imposed a deadline of this week for Favre to decide whether he will end his second attempt at retirement and play for the Vikings in 2009. Chris Mortensen and Ed Werder cited two sources in their story for the all-sports network. Later in the day, Pat Kirwan of Sirius NFL Radio said on his "Movin' the Chains" show that there is no deadline for Favre and that "the [ESPN] story was made up," adding, "Favre is on his way to Minnesota, and it may be around July 15. It might be earlier."

June 9: ESPN reports the Vikings have temporarily suspended their pursuit Favre after he failed to report to organized team activities that began Tuesday, as Childress had mandated.

June 10: Childress goes on KFAN Radio's "Power Trip Morning Show" to refute the report he had given Favre a deadline of this week to decide if he's going to play in 2009. "My opinion is that [Favre] was a great player," Childress told the station. "He obviously had a setback last year. He was playing very well early. If in fact he's had that surgery, I'm anxious to see just exactly what he's got left in that cannon because he had a pretty good arm as we know."

June 11: Childress dances around most Favre-related questions at a post-OTA practice news conference but does admit he made a phone call to Favre last week. Peppered with Favre-related questions after his team's OTA workout, Childress offered mostly vague responses until finishing with a telling quote when asked if he thinks Favre can still be a "great" quarterback. "Don't know. Don't know. Stay tuned," he said.

June 12: ESPN reports that a member of the Vikings coaching staff and a trainer will travel to Mississippi to work out Brett Favre in the next few days. It does not cite its sources or which coach will conduct the workout.

June 14: Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune reports that if Favre is willing to sign a contract with an option that will determine his pay based on how he performs and how much he plays, the Wilf family will go all out to add Favre to the team. The contract will not be guaranteed. If he fails to produce, he will get paid for just the time he was with the team.

June 15: Favre breaks his months-long silence and goes on the debut episode of HBO's "Joe Buck Live" from New York City. Favre confirms he had arthroscopic surgery to repair the partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm and makes it clear if he is healthy enough he wants to play for the Vikings. During the interview, he admits it "makes perfect sense" for him to play in Minnesota, even referring to the Vikings as "we" at one point.

June 17: Wilf makes it clear at the "State of the Vikings" event for season-ticket holders that whether Favre plays in Minnesota will be up to him. Favre, meanwhile, tells a Hattiesburg television station that he and then the Vikings both need to know before training camp whether he will play. This came after he threw the football to players from Oak Grove High School. "I threw the ball OK, but OK isn't good enough in the National Football League," Favre said. "At least not for me, so it's got to get better."

June 18: Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is critical of the fact Favre did not dress in the locker room in Green Bay and New York. "I never said we didn't want him," Edwards said of Favre. "We just don't want him to bring his prima donna attitude to our team. Because I feel that will break a team apart."

June 21: ProFootballTalk.com reports that Favre already might be under contract to the Vikings and that Reebok has been given the green light to manufacture No. 4 Vikings jerseys with Favre's name on the back. Cook denies that a contract is done.

June 23: A source tells WCCO's Mark Rosen that Favre and the Vikings have come to a contractual agreement with heavy incentives and that the Vikings equipment manager already has ordered No. 4 purple jerseys with his name on it.

July 8: Hartman reports that Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman made his second visit to Hattiesburg to check on Favre's progress.

July 12: ESPN reports that Bevell traveled to Mississippi to check on Favre and that Favre said he might need until July 29, the opening day of training camp, to make his decision.

July 15: Favre tells the AP that his arm feels "pretty good" but isn't yet ready to commit to the Vikings because he wants to make sure he can be effective for an entire season. He also says that he will give the Vikings an answer before training camp, however.

July 19: Childress said he hasn't talked to Favre in a couple of weeks, but saw Favre on the AP videotape and thought his throwing motion looked fine.

July 20: NFL.com reports that Favre will make a decision by the end of the week.

July 28: Childress says he talked with Favre, who told the coach that he's staying retired.

Monday: Reports surface that Favre is reconsidering his decisions.

Today:: Favre boards a plane for the Twin Cities and intends to sign with the Vikings.