Brett Favre will return for the 2007 season, which is hardly a surprise. I'm not sure why he was considering retirement in the first place.

Favre can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL and a highly compensated one at that. His base salary for next season is $11 million. He can chase Dan Marino's records and try to make the playoffs. He can compete at the highest level of his field, something that's unlikely to happen for the rest of his life.

The only dangerous aspect to Favre's return is that it seems to be highly influenced on Green Bay's 8-8 finish to the season. Seemingly, the only thing that would drive Favre to retirement at this point would be a team that isn't competitive.

It's true the Packers are the youngest team in the league and play in a weak division. There is room for improvement. But the reality is they were much closer to a 5-11 team than a 10-6 playoff team in 2006. Two games, late in the season, stand out to me.

The Packers lost 35-0 to New England at Lambeau in mid-November. Two weeks later, in December, the Packers lost 38-10 to the Jets, again at home.

Their four-game winning streak at the end of the season was encouraging, but let's be realistic. They beat an equally inconsistent 49ers team. They barely beat the Lions and Vikings, who were playing out the string. Finally, their "best" win was against a Bears team in Week 17 with little to play for. Chicago was the only team with a .500 record they beat all season.

If Favre is returning to play in 2007 for the love of competition, he'll have a great time. If Favre is returning to play because of championship aspirations, he's likely to be very disappointed.