Brett Favre will return to the Green Bay Packers for his 17th season

A couple days after rumors popped up (facilitated by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that Brett Favre wanted the Green Bay Packers to actively pursue Oakland wide receiver Randy Moss (yeah, the guy who mooned the fans in Lambeau in a 2005 playoff game), the Iron Man, himself announced to a Mississippi newspaper that he would be back for the 2007 season.

Favre told the Sun Herald Friday morning that he is “so excited about coming back” for his 17th season. Despite some down numbers last season (only 18 touchdowns and a 72.7 passer rating), Favre is looking forward to picking up his 237 consecutive game starts behind an “offensive line [that] looks good.”

He remarked that the Packers are a “talented, young football team,” and was encouraged with the heart the team played with in the latter half of the season.

Although Brett has always said that he never plays for the records, Packers’ longtime Quarterback and 3 Time NFL Most Valuable Player is close to breaking several more (in addition to the dozens he already holds). Through the 2006 season, Brett Favre is:

Second all-time in career passing touchdowns, with 414 (Marino, 420)

Second all-time in career passing yards, with 57,500 (Marino, 61,361)

Second all-time in career pass attempts, with 8,224 (Marino, 8,358)

Second all-time in single stadium passing yards, with 25,765 (Elway, 27,889)

Second all-time in career interceptions thrown by a quarterback, with 273 (George Blanda, 277)

Second all-time in career regular season wins by starting quarterback, with 147 (Elway, 148; Marino, 147)

Third all-time in career consecutive starts by an NFL player, with 237 (Mick Tingelhoff, 240; Jim Marshall, 270)

(sources: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Wikipedia)