Originally published on: http://mtrmedia.com/jetsjive/

Brett Favre will need ankle surgery to continue his NFL career. If he wants to play another season for the Vikings in what would be his 20th season, he will need to undergo the operation at some point in the near future.

This is obviously a very big deal because it will make the decision of whether or not to retire even more difficult for Favre.

The Vikings quarterback has had injury problems for much of the last two years. When he played for the Jets in 2009, Favre had a late season shoulder injury that essentially led to the downfall of the team and turned an 8-3 record into a 9-7 finish (falling short of the playoffs).

He had shoulder surgery last year in order to play his first season with the Minnesota Vikings.

He carried Minnesota to the playoffs and if they want a shot at going anywhere this coming season, they will need Favre to return again. Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels aren’t exactly viable backup options.

Surgery on Favre’s ankle doesn’t necessarily ensure that the ankle will be in perfect condition either, and if he did have the operation, I would be pretty sure that opposing defense would target that ankle.

It is a risk for both Favre and the Vikings and at this point I doubt that he will play next year, but I promise he’ll wait a long, long time to make that announcement.