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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Although Brett Favre says he's "99.9 percent" sure he'll retire as a Green Bay Packer, he can't rule out the possibility he might finish his career with another team.

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But before Cheesehead Nation begins trembling at the thought of seeing Favre in some shade of teal -- or, worse yet, wearing Vikings horns -- note that the 36-year-old said he'd only consider playing elsewhere if the Packers decided they wanted to rebuild without him.

In a taped interview scheduled to air on the HBO show "Costas Now" on Wednesday night, Favre was asked if he might be tempted to play for a team that appeared to be only a quarterback away from Super Bowl contention.

"I can't say it wouldn't happen," Favre said, according to an advance transcript. "If it comes to a point where they do start over, and I feel like I can play and they say, 'Brett, if you want to go somewhere else, go ahead, but we've got to start over, it's time for us to rebuild. It just doesn't make sense, so do what you want.' If I got the itch at some point, I can't say no."

Asked on Wednesday about that comment, which could be interpreted as a position shift for Favre, who previously maintained he'd rather retire than play for another team, Favre said he wasn't trying to send a message to fans that they should start preparing for his departure.

"I said, 'I've always said I'll play in Green Bay, love to play in Green Bay, loyal, this is home to me.' And I still believe that," Favre said.

But if the Packers didn't want him back and he was just sitting at home next offseason?

"Would I consider playing for someone else? I guess I would," Favre said. "Do I think that'll happen? I'm 99.9 percent sure that that won't happen. So, that's it."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he has no indication that Favre would like to play anywhere else.

"If I was a betting man, I'd bet he retires a Green Bay Packer," McCarthy said.

Of course, Midwestern sports fans might be wary of such guarantees from big-time athletes. Michael Jordan said he was 99.9 percent sure he wouldn't play again after his second retirement from the Chicago Bulls in 1999, then played for the Washington Wizards in 2001-03.

And Favre has paid attention to a situation involving another veteran quarterback, Steve McNair, who found a new starting job with a potential contender in Baltimore after the Tennessee Titans let him go. Favre and McNair share an agent, James "Bus" Cook.

"They're saying that he's the piece that they've been missing," Favre said. "Time will tell, but I think that he is very happy with that situation."

But Favre said he doesn't consider his situation in Green Bay, where the Packers are trying to improve on last year's 4-12 record with a youth-oriented roster, comparable to what happened with McNair in Tennessee -- where the Titans at one point barred him from entering their practice facility.

"I haven't been kicked out of this building yet, so there's a little different situation there," Favre said.

Although Favre admits he has concerns about how the Packers' two rookie starting guards will hold up against the Chicago Bears' ultra-quick defensive front in the opener at Lambeau Field on Sunday, he's generally excited about starting the season.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I don't mind getting hit every week, play after play," Favre said. "I'm not going to say that. But I have to admit I'm very optimistic about this season until something else happens, until a point where I say, 'There's no need to be optimistic anymore.' But I like the way we do things."

And he says he's happy he decided to return to the Packers.

"I have no idea what's going to happen this season, but so far I've been energetic in camp and happy to be here," Favre said. "I think the rest of the guys are that way. Do I think we'll struggle at times? Absolutely. But my first year here, not knowing any different, as I look back we went 9-7 and got on a six-game win streak and we weren't very good. We were well-coached, but we were not very good, and we somehow found a way to get it done.

"Do I think this team can do it? Absolutely."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press