GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings walked to his locker to discuss his contract extension this week, media scrambled to get to him. This was big news. About the biggest news with the franchise this offseason since the team drafted defensive lineman B.J. Raji and linebacker Clay Matthews. Talk of Brett Favre barely causes a ripple in the locker room or in the street.
So over Him.
Yet in Minneapolis -- actually, anyplace where there's an NFL pulse -- Favre's expected arrival there has been the buzz for weeks. In Detroit, the freshness of new head coach Jim Schwartz, the perpetual signing of free agents and the acquisition of $72 million quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first overall draft pick has made the league's first 0-16 team relevant -- for now. Quarterback Jay Cutler's arrival in Chicago has spawned hope of another Super Bowl run.
While those teams cast themselves into the spotlight, it's the Packers who finally feel they've stepped out of the shadows. Well, Favre's shadow. The pall of the acrimonious split and the notion that No. 4 would be wearing another uniform captivated the focus on the Packers leading into last season. They never gained any traction and spent much of their teetering season getting jabbed about winning just six games without Favre.
Now, he's just another ghost at Lambeau.