Healthy arm + Brett Favre = Vikings

Favre says he is "considering" joining Vikings

Just a quick heads up for Minnesota Vikings second-year quarterback John David Booty: Start thinking of a new jersey number, because No. 4 won’t be yours for long.

Joe Buck Live made its debut Monday, and “retired” quarterback Brett Favre was his first guest. When Joe Buck scheduled Favre to be on in the spring, little did he know Favre would once again be surrounded by a media frenzy of potentially coming out of retirement for the second time in as many years.

In his first television interview since retiring from the New York Jets, Favre was in classic form and appeared quite comfortable. Buck wasted no time attacking the purple elephant sitting in the middle of the room, as he quickly asked Favre what his intentions were regarding playing in 2009.

Favre’s first response, of course, was “maybe.”

Buck, however, wouldn’t take that as an answer and continued to prod Favre for some type of official announcement.

Favre, as reported on Hot off the Wire, said he is “considering” returning to the NFL. However, it all comes down to the health of his throwing shoulder. He cleared the air on some things, saying he has not had members of the Minnesota Vikings‘ coaching staff visit him nor have they given him any type of deadline to make an announcement. Favre has, indeed, also had surgery on his throwing shoulder.

Right now, the big question is whether or not Favre’s throwing shoulder will be pain free in a few weeks. He said he was able to throw before the surgery and is able to throw now. However, it will not be clear whether or not the surgery was a success for a few more weeks.

“It’s more or less how my arm feels and we’ll go from there,” Favre said during the interview.

Favre should enjoy having AD behind him

Favre also made it clear that the Vikings are his top – and possibly only – choice if he is going to return to the NFL from retirement for a second time. He commented about how strong their running game is with star tailback Adrian Peterson leading the way. He talked about how the offense is one he played within for 16 years, while noting he knows the system so well he could coach it at this point.

He speculated the Vikings’ offense could be pretty good should he join them. However, he was quick to point out nothing in the world of football is guaranteed. “If I go there, there is no guarantees,” he noted.

The overall message of the interview was simple: If Favre’s throwing shoulder is pain-free (or close to it) a few weeks from now, he is going to be a member of the Vikings.

Call me Captain Obvious if you will, but that has pretty much been the forgone conclusion by many for quite some time. Once Favre had the itch to possibly return again, and the Vikings were known to be a suitor, it turned into a when – not if – situation.

If Favre is healthy enough – to both his standards and those of the Vikings – he is going to be sporting a purple No. 4 in 2009. Now it is just a matter of the waiting game continuing, as Favre’s shoulder will dictate the next steps.

If healthy, he and the Vikings will need to come to terms on a deal that works for both parties. Reports out of Minnesota recently have said that, too, could become an issue. The Vikings, reportedly, want to protect themselves and give Favre an incentive-based contract. Will he be willing to go for that or will he command 12-plus million in salary?

If he isn’t healthy enough to give it a go in yet another city right now, Favre will ride off into the sunset one more time… maybe.