BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - Should I stay or should I go now? Brett Favre apparently has answered the question.

The NFL's only three-time MVP and long-time quarterback of the Green Bay Packers will return for a 16th season, ESPN.com reported Tuesday night.

According to the report, Favre shared his decision with general manager Ted Thompson and new coach Mike McCarthy in a telephone conversation Tuesday morning.

Favre, who had a roster bonus pushed back from March to July while he pondered his decision, has said that if he chose to play in 2006 that it would be his final season.

Favre, 36, is second to Hall of Famer Dan Marino in passing yards, touchdown passes and completions.

Marino is the leader with 61,361 yards followed by Favre with 53,615 and Hall of Famer John Elway with 51,475.

An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Favre has made an NFL-record 221 consecutive starts for the Packers. He never had a losing record until last season, when Green Bay went 4-12 and he led the league with 29 interceptions.

But the fans at Lambeau Field did not want to see him go. After Green Bay closed a disappointing campaign with a win over Seattle on January 1, Favre left the game with 46 seconds left after throwing for 259 yards and a touchdown and received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd.

Favre saluted the fans with a wave and was surrounded by a swarm of photographers as he ran off the field.

Favre extended his NFL-record streak of seasons with at least 20 touchdown passes to 12 and increased his career total to 396. He also established a career high with 372 completions last season, surpassing his previous high of 363 in 1994.

Marino, the NFL's most prolific quarterback, has 420 career TD passes and 4,967 completions.