LAKE BUENA VISTA - The Brett Favre-to-Tampa rumors are heating up again. There’s just one problem, the Bucs remain rather cool towards Favre.

It may not seem that way, what with the Bucs still refusing to say they have no interest in Favre. The truth, though, is that the Bucs won’t involve themselves in serious trade talks for Favre until they have a real good reason to. In other words, the Bucs currently see Favre as a luxury, not a necessity. Until he becomes a necessity the Bucs will stay on the sidelines in this saga.

What would make Favre a necessity? Well, Jeff Garcia suffering a long-term injury would constitute a necessity. But then you have the issue of Favre’s $12 million contract. Quite simply, the Bucs don’t want to pay it. That’s why little has changed from the Bucs perspective on this.

So, they’ll continue to field calls from the Packers and they’ll continue to discuss a trade for Favre internally. But they won’t make a move on this front until they absolutely have to. And even then they will probably seek other alternatives to the problem before striking a deal for Favre.

Speaking or problems, the latest on Favre is the reason the Favre-to-Tampa Bay rumors are hot again. Favre, it now seems, is not going to be allowed to compete for the starting job in Green Bay and he doesn’t like that. He wants his old job back or to be moved to the Vikings, and since the Packers aren’t amenable to either situation, the two parties remain at an impasse.

Favre said today on ESPN.com that playing for the Packers, “probably isn’t going to work out.”