Favre confirms desire to return

Brett Favre bid an emotional farewell to the NFL in March

NFL great Brett Favre has confirmed he has changed his mind over retiring and wants to prolong his career.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback told Fox News: "I am guilty of retiring early and there is a reason for that.

"On 3 March, when I got on the podium (to announce his retirement), did I still want to play? Yes. 100%? No."

Favre, 38, denied quitting because he no longer wanted to play for Green Bay after 16 years and claimed he had since received mixed messages from the team.

The Packers said earlier this week that Favre's understudy Aaron Rodgers would be their starting quarterback next season.

Favre told Fox News that head coach Mike McCarthy had called him weekly following his retirement to gauge his interest in a possible return but then told him 'We've moved on'.

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"I was told playing in Green Bay was not an option," Favre claimed. "Later, it was 'we can't imagine you playing anywhere else'... where does that leave me?

"Them moving on does not bother me, I totally understand that. By retiring, I knew that could possibly happen. All I was saying is, you know, I'm thinking about playing again.

"The word 'itch' has been used. If you want to say itch - or the fire is coming back - or whatever. If I'm going to play it's going to be 100% commitment."

Favre, who started 275 consecutive regular season and play-off games, broke NFL records in his final campaign for most touchdown passes (442), passing yards (61,655), pass completions (5,377) and games with at least three touchdown passes (63).

The league's only triple Most Valuable Player, he led the Packers to the 1997 Super Bowl title and was named to nine Pro Bowl teams.