TV networks like players fresh from the game. And quarterbacks. And really famous names. And all the reporting on Favre figuring out his future made him lots more famous.

Networks generally don't like to talk publicly about their on-air recruiting efforts, although ESPN last year was open about its interest in Favre.

If a network said it wanted Favre and then didn't get him, it might look like a loser. And for networks to publicly go after Favre could be distracting to their current analysts, who are already practicing ad libs and sweating through their pancake makeup in TV training camps.

Some issues in play:

•He might not have much to say. This seems unlikely. But there is precedent for something like that, such as Joe Montana's stint on NBC.

•He'd never do TV. Just like Bob Knight never would.

•Hamlet can still change his mind. You've offered to mount cameras on Favre's riding mower so he can talk from there and not drop by a studio. You've put him in clever promos. And then by, say Week 4, some NFL quarterbacks go down and vacancies pop up and … well, who knows what happens then?

•Would he matter? Occasionally, analysts who've never called football on TV — the late Bill Walsh, Tony Kornheiser and, this season, Jon Gruden— go directly to calling marquee games. That involves quickly learning TV's mechanics and could be risky. But otherwise, it could be a waste to sign such a star for obscure games going to, say, 7% of the U.S.

Which leaves NFL studio shows which, in TV terms, are a pretty big deal. The four pregame shows — on Fox, CBS, ESPN and NFL Network — each week collectively draw ratings that approach coverage of, say, a big college bowl game or final-round coverage of The Masters. And, unlike live event coverage where networks can't control whether you end up getting a good game, pregame shows are one of the few venues where networks compete directly for the same viewers with shows they control.

If Favre wanted to pop up on-air as much as he, ESPN and NFLN offer him plenty of flexibility — although ESPN might stop short of offering him his own channel. On Fox, NBC or CBS, he'd only have to show up for well-catered Sundays on high-visibility platforms.

It's not that complicated. But it's possible he'll take awhile to think about it before he decides.