MINNEAPOLIS--Brett Favre signed a $25 million, two-year contract when he joined the Vikings in August and owner Zygi Wilf came out last week and said his quarterback has exceeded expectations. But it will be up to the 40-yard-old Favre to decide if he returns in 2010 for a 20th season.

``I haven't even thought about it,'' Favre said before I pressed him for more in his conference call with Chicago media on Wednesday. ``How can I think about next year when we've got the Bears coming up this week? The only reason I came back was to hopefully lead this team to a championship. Guys have said that maybe in the past but I think people who know me and have been around me know that is the only reason. That's what was so disappointing about my last year [2007] in Green Bay is we got so close when no one gave us a shot to even be at that [NFC championship] game, and maybe including me going into the season.

``But as the season progressed I thought we've got a little magic here. So it was very disappointing, even though very rewarding, that we got to that point, whereas this year the expectation level was already high and rightfully so. I'm just trying to do everything I can just to get us there and hopefully play the way I've played and hopefully this team continues to play and work the way it has and we'll see what happens.''

The fine reporters in Minnesota can stand down now.

On alert for the arrival of Brett Favre since the New York Jets removed him from the reserve/retired list on April 28, the waiting game came to an end this afternoon when Favre told Vikings coach Brad Childress that he just couldn't take the daily grind.

"I just think it was a rare opportunity to explore a Hall of Fame quarterback who had background in the NFC and in this division," Childress told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "He knows our system inside out ... This doesn't change anything about how I feel about our football team."