'I really didn't mean anything by it, other than it's pretty simple: I don't want to be 35 years old and struggle to play golf or play with my kids and hurt to get up in the morning, kind of like I do now,' Favre said.

Favre has had to make do with over-the-counter drugs Motrin and Tylenol this season because of his addiction to Vicodin, which landed him in a drug rehab centre last summer.

'I love to play football, I really do. I hate practice, I hate meetings. It's a long season, I hate pre-season. But I love to play games. And I could play them every single day,' Favre said. 'And the demands on my life the last couple of years have increased immensely, with good reason.' Favre, preparing to start his 85th consecutive game in an NFC divisional play-off against the San Francisco 49ers early Sunday morning (Hong Kong time), said he enjoys the spoils of success 'but all of a sudden a part of your life dies'.

'It's tough to take my daughter out to eat, my family out to eat or go to a movie without football being brought up or someone asking for an autograph or something like that,' he said.

'And I love the people here in Green Bay. I love the people back at home, the fans across the nation. I can't blame them one bit. If I was in their shoes and I saw a player or if I saw Oprah Winfrey walking down the street, or Garth Brooks, I'd go up and want to say something to them. 'But that's basically what I was saying. I'm not putting a time frame on how long I want to play. I would love to win a Super Bowl. If I don't win it this year I will be back next year. If I don't win it next year I will be back until this old body won't hold up. 'But I would like to win a couple, and then walk out on my own terms.' Favre does not have to worry about the Packers asking him to take a pay cut; they're preparing to give him a big raise. Last month, the Packers re-signed defensive end Reggie White to a five-year, US$19 million deal and shifted their focus to Favre.

James Cook, the attorney who represents Favre, has been talking with Packers chief financial officer Mike Reinfeldt since late last summer about a possible seven-year contract extension, and they're going to meet face-to-face this week.

'I hope they can get something done this week or next,' said Favre, who is in the third year of a five-year, US$19 million deal. 'But the way it's happened in the past, I doubt it. I think it'll happen after the season. But, you never know.' Favre, who threw an NFC-record 39 TD passes despite a series of injuries to his receiving corps that followed his tumultuous off-season, is seeking a new deal that would put him on a par with Dallas' Troy Aikman (US$50 million for eight years), New England's Drew Bledsoe (US$42 million for seven years) and Denver's John Elway (US$29.5 million for five years).