Favre forces the issue

Throughout his career in Green Bay, Brett Favre was known for his last-minute comebacks.

Somehow, this wasn’t what the Packers had in mind.

Favre, who retired in March, has been reinstated and will be added to Green Bay’s roster today. The latest indication is the Packers will make him Aaron Rodgers’ backup for the moment with the intent of putting the starting job up for grabs.

That’s only one scenario in a saga that seems to change minute by minute -- and it could merely be posturing by the club, which in the past has said emphatically that it is moving forward with Rodgers as its quarterback. The team resumes practice Tuesday.

“Frankly, Brett’s change of mind put us in a very difficult spot,” team President Mark Murphy said in a statement released by the team. “We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett’s decision last March to retire.

“As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That’s why this wasn’t easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it’s very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction -- but we’ll put this to our advantage.”

Another possibility is Favre will accept payments from the Packers totaling more than $20 million to simply stay retired, eliminating the possibility of his winding up as quarterback of the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.

Or, the Packers could do the previously unthinkable and trade the 38-year-old star -- maybe even to the Vikings -- in exchange for draft considerations.

Both Favre and the Packers have tried to sway public sentiment in their direction. There is a strong possibility that Favre is reporting to training camp to either force a trade or sweeten the money-for-nothing offer already extended by the club. Meanwhile, the Packers might be calling his bluff by hinting he will stay on their roster, even if it means paying him his $12.7-million salary to hold a clipboard.

Whatever happens is likely to happen soon, considering the clock started ticking when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell granted Favre’s reinstatement request Sunday.

In an interview with the NFL Network, Goodell said the time had come to “force it” by allowing the quarterback to officially come out of retirement.

“I think it’s come to a point where there needs to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of the fans,” Goodell said.

Both sides have taken a major public-relations hit. The payment offer looks like a bribe from the Packers, and if Favre were to agree, his love of the green would seemingly eclipse his love of the game.

If the Packers open the quarterback competition, they will be going back on their word of sticking with Rodgers. In interviews, Favre has made it clear he doesn’t think he should have to compete for the job.

Trade him to Minnesota, and Favre opens the season on “Monday Night Football” against his old team at Lambeau Field. If the Packers were to lose that game, there surely would be some fans calling for the firing of Green Bay General Manager Ted Thompson.

Tampa Bay, Baltimore and the New York Jets also have surfaced as possible landing places for Favre. He can nix a trade by simply refusing to show up for it.

For the moment at Packers camp -- and this could change at any time -- No. 4 will be No. 2.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com