Will Brett Favre be back next season?

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Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong.

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times

I don’t think Brett Favre will be back, but I also believe that Brett Favre doesn’t even know if he’s coming back. I do know that he was absolutely hammered by the Saints, and was particularly shaken by Bobby McCray’s hit. Apparently, Favre initially felt as if he had teeth knocked out on that collision, and Saints defender Will Smith at first thought McCray had broken the quarterback’s leg. That Favre returned to the game was an unquestionable testament to his toughness and resolve. But will he be back? We shall see.

Harvey Fialkov, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Watching 40-year-old Brett Favre getting battered Sunday was painful. It reminded me of that photograph of over-the-hill Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle on his knees with blood streaming down his bald head in his final season. And of then 43-year-old Mets center fielder Willie Mays stumbling around in the ‘73 World Series. I thought of a slow-reacting Ali getting pummeled by Larry Holmes, and then 16 years later shaking from Parkinson’s while lighting the Olympic torch. The difference is that Favre’s Hall of Fame skills remain intact, but so does his costly riverboat gambler instincts. He’ll always have Super Bowl XXXI. Not everyone goes out like Elway. So take the retirement watch Brett, so we don’t have to endure yet another retirement watch.

Paul Doyle, Hartford Courant

Buckle up for the perennial Brett Favre retirement ride. One day we’ll hear that sources close to America’s quarterback are saying he’s done. The next day, our hero will be heeding the pleas of his daughter and preparing for another season.

There may even be a tearful press conference along the way. It’ll be a ratings bonanza for ESPN as Brett keeps his team guessing. But in the end, we’re betting he comes back. He had a great season and his team was sniffing the Super Bowl, so Favre will decide to make one last run at a ring.

And really, does anyone think Favre will limp off to Mississippi with the lasting image of a late-game interception and an overtime loss as the cap to his career? He’s too competitive and, more importantly, his ego is too big.

Between now and training camp, you’ll be dizzy from the indecision. He may not report until hours before Week 1, but he’ll be wearing purple and gold when the 2010 season kicks off.

Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune

The first rule of predicting whether or not Brett Favre will retire: believe nothing that he says. Or maybe it’s even believe the opposite of what he says. Favre already has told ESPN’s Ed Werder that it is “highly unlikely” he will pay again. I’m sure he felt like that after the game, and probably believed it. But time very well could change his perspective. It seems like it has for each of the last 10 years or so. Why should Favre play again? He remains one of the league’s premier quarterbacks. Age has not taken his game. He had an absolute ball in 2009. He is very happy playing with the Vikings. And the Vikings have a good chance to win a Super Bowl in 2010. Welcome back, Brett.