MINNEAPOLIS — Brett Favre shared a laugh with Brad Childress about the two of them butting heads over the direction of the offence during a recent visit the Minnesota Vikings coach made to Hattiesburg, Miss.

What Favre didn't share with Childress is any decision about his future.

Favre told USA Today on Tuesday that Childress stopped to visit him on his way home from vacation in Florida. The two chatted about a lot of things, but no deadline was imposed for the quarterback to announce a decision about returning for a 20th NFL season.

"Our visit was great," Favre told the newspaper. "I think the world of him (and) his patience. He and I joked about how there were some rocky times (between them) last year. ... We're both competitors, that happens."

Favre and Childress had a very public spat in December last season after the two of them argued over play-calling in a loss at Carolina. They resolved their differences and the Vikings advanced to the NFC title game, where they lost in overtime.

Favre injured his ankle in that game and had surgery on it earlier this summer. He has been throwing to receivers at Oak Grove High School near his home to test it out.

"After almost nine weeks, it's not where I would like it to be, but I'm working at it," he said. "Maybe it never gets to where I want it to be. Forty years old ... three surgeries ... that's all you need to know."

He will turn 41 in October and is coming off one of the best seasons of his brilliant career. But Childress has repeatedly said he will not put any pressure on Favre to make a decision, saying that he would be fine with a similar scenario to last year. Favre skipped the first two weeks of training camp last year and joined the team after the first pre-season game.

"The deadline? I don't know," Favre said. "There obviously comes a point where you've probably gone too far, where you just have to move on. He hopes I make the right decision for myself, one way or the other."