Farve may retire

Brett Favre’s future is uncertain after phone conversation with Minnesota Vikings’ coach Brad Childress. Farve didn’t make a decision either way-to play for the Vikings or stay retired.

NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci, Favre’s confidant and former quarterbacks coach, said Wednesday that he talked to Favre last week. Mariucci said Favre told him he hadn’t even picked up a football this offseason.

“The first thing he would need to do, if he’s going to consider coming back, is to pick up a ball and test his arm for awhile, maybe for a week or two, to see if it’s going to fatigue on him or if that bicep tendon is going to bother him like it did last year,” Mariucci said. “He really doesn’t want to have surgery.”

Vikings officials were unavailable for comment and have yet to address the drama since Childress acknowledged last week that it was likely the team would assess its interest in signing the man who owns most of the NFL’s major passing records. Favre became a free agent last month when, upon his request, he was formally released from the reserve-retired list by the New York Jets.

Favre declared his playing days over in February after one season with New York, where he went after forcing a trade from Green Bay when the Packers told him last July that it was too late to come back for another year. Favre had first retired earlier in 2008.

Favre’s torn biceps tendon has caused pain in his shoulder, which is part of the reason he struggled down the stretch last season while the Jets missed the playoffs. He threw nine interceptions over the last five games and needed a cortisone injection after one of them. New York stumbled to a 9-7 finish after starting the season 8-3.