No more rumors, no more speculation about Brett Favre. With Tampa Bay no longer a potential destination for the iconic quarterback coming out of retirement, a sense of normalcy returned to Buccaneers training camp on Thursday. There was even a denial that the team was ever a serious player in trade talks with the Green Bay Packers.

"There was no negotiation. There was never any substantive talk of what they would take," general manager Bruce Allen said. "All of that was speculation. From the beginning, I think it was clear it was a bad situation in Green Bay and they had to deal with it any way they could."

Even for Allen, who's rarely forthcoming with information about team matters, it was a curious way to try to spin the club's interest in Favre, who was dealt to the New York Jets late Wednesday after saying the Bucs were in the mix, too.

But the Tampa Bay GM insisted he never felt the Packers intended to trade Favre to a NFC team and, therefore, the Bucs did not make an offer for Super Bowl-winning quarterback and three-time league MVP.

"Green Bay never told us what they were interested in trading him for," said Allen, who also insisted talks did not progress to the point that Tampa Bay ever tried to sell Favre himself on the idea of playing for the Bucs.

"Really it never got to any of that. He wasn't a free agent. We never believed they were going to release him. That wasn't their intention. It wasn't that type of process."

While the Bucs never publicly acknowledged interest in Favre as a replacement for Jeff Garcia, the club also failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities to squash speculation about coach Jon Gruden's desire to acquire him.

Asked if he expects Garcia, who led the Bucs to a division title and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl last season, to believe that the club had no interest in Favre, Allen launched into damage-control mode.

"I said we never believed they were going to trade him to the Buccaneers," the GM said. Continued...