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(AP) - Brett Favre will return for his 17th NFL
season, undeterred by his injuries and hoping to lead the Green Bay
Packers back to the playoffs.

      "I am so excited about coming back," the 37-year-old
quarterback said Friday on the Web site of the Sun Herald in
Biloxi, Miss. "We have a good nucleus of young players. We were
8-8 last year, and that's encouraging."

      Packers general manager Ted Thompson confirmed Favre had told
the team he plans to return.

      "The Packers are excited by his decision and look forward to a
successful 2007 campaign," Thompson said in a statement.

      The team scheduled a 4 p.m. EST news conference Friday.

      "My offensive line looks good, the defense played good down the
stretch," Favre told the Biloxi newspaper. "I'm excited about
playing for a talented young football team."

      The news came as a surprise to Packers CEO Bob Harlan.

      "I hadn't heard it, and I hadn't seen the Biloxi paper -- not
that I read the Biloxi paper every day," Harlan told The
Associated Press on Friday.

      Favre last left the field in an emotional scene in Chicago after
leading the Packers to a victory to finish the season 8-8.

      He has started 257 consecutive games including the playoffs, an
NFL record for quarterbacks. Favre broke Dan Marino's record for
career completions (4,967) in 2006 and is closing in on Marino's
marks for career touchdown passes (420) and yards passing (61,361).

      As he has done in the past several offseasons, Favre returned to
his home in Mississippi after the season to deliberate about his
future. Last year, Favre waited until late April to tell the team
he was returning.

      Favre complained about nagging injuries and the drudgery of
practice toward the end of last season, then choked back tears as
he talked about missing the game and missing his teammates in a
television interview immediately after the regular-season finale in
Chicago -- leading many to believe he intended to retire.

      Apparently, he couldn't resist one more chance to try to lead
the Packers back to the playoffs, after the Packers won their final
four games and were in playoff contention until the final weekend
of the regular season.

      Favre has led the Packers to 10 postseason appearances, six
division titles, three NFC Championship games, two Super Bowls and
one championship following the 1996 season.

      Favre was acquired in a trade by former Packers general manager
Ron Wolf after one season as a backup in Atlanta in 1991. He
completed his first NFL pass -- to himself -- on Sept. 13, 1992,
catching a deflection and losing seven yards.

      The following week, he replaced injured starter Don Majkowski in
the third quarter and led the Packers to a come-from-behind 24-23
victory over Cincinnati.

      Favre started in place of Majkowski on Sept. 27, 1992, beginning
the streak he often has called his biggest personal accomplishment.
The 237-game regular-season streak is nearly six seasons ahead of
the Colts' Peyton Manning at 144.

      Favre's accomplishments include winning three league MVP awards
-- he shared 1997 honors with Detroit Lions running back Barry
Sanders -- and throwing two touchdown passes in a 35-21 victory over
the New England Patriots in the 1997 Super Bowl to give the Packers
their first championship in 29 years. 

Earlier in that championship
season, Favre spent time in the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kan.,
battling an addiction to painkillers.

      Favre led the Packers back to the Super Bowl the following
season, but they lost to Elway's Denver Broncos 31-24.

Gallery

"I am so excited about coming back," the 37-year-old Favre said Friday, after announcing on the Web site of a Mississippi newspaper that he was returning to the Green Bay Packers for his 17th NFL season.

Favre coming back for another year with Packers

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