The Minnesota Vikings' reported dalliance with retired quarterback Brett Favre hasn't reached the stage of face-to-face, close-the-deal talks.
Maybe it never will.
Vikings coach Brad Childress remained at team headquarters Thursday despite reports that he was scheduled to travel south for discussions with Favre, who lives in Mississippi. Yahoo! Sports, citing an unidentified source close to the team, reported that Favre called Childress sometime Wednesday or early Thursday and told the coach that he wants to stay retired.
Bus Cook, Favre's agent, told NFL Network's Scott Hanson that he had a Thursday morning conversation with his client, who didn't mention any phone call with Childress.
"He's retired," Cook said of Favre. "That's what I've been telling people all along. ... He says he still hasn't thrown a ball (since the end of the 2008 season)."
Twin Cities television station KMSP broadcast video of Childress' early morning arrival at Winter Park, and the coach's black sports-utility vehicle was still parked at the team's facility in suburban Minneapolis in the afternoon.
Vikings officials declined comment to The Associated Press.
When Favre reconsidered his first retirement last summer and the Green Bay Packers wouldn't let him return, he reportedly wanted to be traded to the Vikings. After going to the New York Jets instead, Favre wore down at the end of last season and said in February that he was done for good, after 18 NFL seasons.
"It's time to leave," Favre told reporters then.
NFL Network analyst Steve Marucci, Favre's former quarterback coach and confidant, said Wednesday that he talked to Favre last week. Mariucci said Favre told him he hadn't even picked up a football this offseason, and Cook mentioned the same thing to Hanson on Thursday.
"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."
Mariucci said that Favre has asked for his advice, and here's what the former coach told him: "One, your arm has to be healthy, because last year, it looked to be like it wore out toward the end. It got tired. Two, if you're going to do this, you have to give it your all during this offseason to get in great shape and get into minicamps and be there in training camp and practice with that team and get yourself ready to win. No shortcuts. Just do like you always do."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
