Favre Back for a 20th NFL Season

Brett Favre looks ready to return for a 20th NFL season, as long as he is healthy, after telling the local press he would love to exact revenge on Super Bowl champions New Orleans next season.

Favre’s fairytale return with Minnesota almost went all the way last season, before he and the Vikings suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss against the Saints in the NFC Championship game.

After coming within just a single game of the Super Bowl, Favre was always expected to be keen on coming back and having one last shot at the big one, and those chances increased when he underwent ankle surgery in order to get back to full fitness.

A chance for revenge comes along quickly with the Saints hosting the Vikings in the 2010 season opener in September, and Favre says he would love to be there to take out his revenge.

“I would love to go beat the Saints,” Favre told the Biloxi Sun Herald.

“I know I can still play at a high level. Last year was a great year, but it could have been better. When (Vikings coach Brad) Childress came to my home a few weeks ago, he told me to take my time. But the team would need to know at some point.”

Favre is back in training and his fitness does not now look like being a factor in his decision to return to Minnesota for the final year of his $13 million deal.

“If my body was a wreck, the decision would be made,” Favre added. “But that is not the case. I know they want to know. Hell, I want to know. But I am not going to press it.

“If I do not play, it does not cost the Vikings a dime. They keep the $13 million. I know they have confidence in the players they have.”

The Vikings have Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels as quarterbacks and their strong running game means they could still go a long way, but Favre just adds that extra dimension to the passing game.

Favre has been much quieter than in recent years surrounding his usual on-off retirement saga, and is trying not to make his decision all about beating the Saints.

“People tell me all the time to go beat the Saints and redeem yourself,” Favre said. “People said the same thing with Green Bay the year before.

“It was, ‘You have to go back and beat Green Bay.’ I don’t want to be in my 20th year and hear people say, ‘You have to redeem yourself.’ Like I said, I would love to go beat the Saints. But what if that doesn’t happen?

“I do know when it’s over, it’s over. I can’t play forever. It’s not like being a dentist or playing golf. I can’t play football forever.”