Brett Favre has taken a significant step in his quest to play for the Vikings, but that doesn't mean he will be wearing purple this season.
The longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback underwent arthroscopic surgery last month to repair his injured (right) passing shoulder, according to ESPN, but remains unable to make a commitment because subsequent throwing sessions indicate the shoulder is not yet 100 percent. ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Ed Werder cited two sources in reporting the story Sunday.
Favre retired from the New York Jets in February at least in part because of a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm. Favre, who will turn 40 on Oct. 10, has thrown on a limited basis since the surgery, according to the all-sports network, but has not felt close to "100 percent" and would not return unless he makes significant progress.
The Jets released Favre from their reserve/retired list in late April, beginning speculation that he would attempt to end his second shot at retirement by playing for the Vikings in 2009. He retired from the Packers in March 2008 but changed his mind later that year. By then, Green Bay didn't want Favre, and he attempted to force his way to the Vikings before being dealt to New York.
The Vikings have not denied having interest in Favre this spring. "Certainly a player of Brett Favre's (caliber), a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, with the competitiveness he has, that is a player that we would have interest (in) as we would have in other players," Vikings President Mark Wilf said last month.
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Coach Brad Childress said Friday that Favre is "still retired," adding that he wasn't even thinking about Favre when asked if there might be a deadline on when he would want an answer on if the quarterback is going to play.
Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels have been splitting snaps with the first-team offense in Vikings offseason workouts in anticipation of battling for the starting job in training camp. Obviously, that would change if Favre signs.
According to ESPN, Favre started considering his options to repair the injury in May when he met with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. The two discussed both surgical and non-surgical options, but it was believed that the three-time NFL MVP had serious reservations about undergoing any type of surgical procedure.
The non-surgical option was for Favre to attempt to heal the tear on his own. But ESPN reported that cortisone injections and exercise therapies failed to release the damaged tendon naturally, and Favre gave the go-ahead to surgery.
Favre's agent, Bus Cook, declined to confirm or deny any surgery to ESPN. Cook told the Associated Press on Friday that while he speaks with Favre on a daily basis, he was unaware of any pending change in his client's plans. However, Cook added, "We've all changed our minds, I guess."
The timing of Sunday's news is not a surprise, given the Vikings are close to wrapping up their Organized Team Activities. It has long been assumed that if Favre is going to attempt to play for the Vikings, he wasn't going to participate in the team's offseason program. The Vikings are scheduled to hold four more OTA practices this week (Monday through Thursday), and although they have two more set for June 15 and 16, Childress often cancels those.
The Vikings are scheduled to begin training camp practices on July 31 in Mankato, and this situation could easily carry into next month while Favre tries to decide if his arm is strong enough. While Favre would need to become familiar with the Vikings' personnel, he already knows much of their West Coast scheme. The Vikings run an offense that is very similar to what the Packers used during Favre's 16 years in Green Bay.
-- Copyright (c) 2009, Minneapolis Star Tribune/Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
