The 39-year-old future hall of fame quarterback Brett Favre has retired again, and this time he says it’s for real.

“I have family and friends who are like, ‘All right, Brett. Is this the real deal?” Favre said during a conference call. “To me, it is. It is. Believe me. It’s been a wonderful career, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was worth a shot for me to go to New York. I wish I could’ve played better down the stretch. I didn’t. It’s time to leave.”

Favre says the Jets expressed the desire to have him back for the 2009 season but he didn’t think his body could hold up for another season.

“There are several things that went into decision but most importantly, the most important thing, was that physically, you know with my shoulder the last half of the year it hampered the way I played,” Favre said. “I’m 39, I had several options [to have surgery] and to let it heal. How that would affect me in terms of playing I had no idea and it wasn’t something I was going to risk.”

If this really is the end of his career, he’s been a joy to watch — but only god knows if he’ll actually stay retired this time.