The season didn't end as desired for Brett Favre and the New York Jets. (Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)

Brett Favre is going to take his time deciding whether to return to the New York Jets next season.

The 39-year-old quarterback told ESPN on Thursday that he's following the advice of Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and not making a hasty decision about his future.

"He said he's not going to bother me for three or four weeks," said Favre. "He told me to do whatever, and he'd give me a call in a month.

"Maybe I will tell him my answer that day. But he told me to get away and don't even think about football."

Favre said he plans to make a quiet decision without a public news conference if he does retire, unlike the emotional departure last off-season when he announced he was stepping away from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL, only to return a few months later, leading to a summer-long saga and eventual trade to New York.

"I have the ability to turn it off just like that," said Favre. "I don't feel I have anything else to prove."

New York appeared to peak at the right time with an 8-3 mark after 11 games, but stumbled in December to finish out of the AFC playoffs.

Although he was named to the Pro Bowl, Favre faltered badly down the stretch, with two touchdown passes and nine interceptions in the last five games.

"Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I'm 60 years old," said Favre. "There is nothing left out there for me from that standpoint. I'm disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have."

Teammate criticized Favre's play

The quarterback reportedly was playing with a torn biceps tendon in his right arm.

Jets running back Thomas Jones was critical of Favre's play in an interview with a New York radio station last week, although he later tried to backtrack from his initial comments.

"I am not going to let one or two guys ruin a career for me or the relationship I had with my teammates," Favre told the Sun Herald (Miss.) for Thursday's editions. "If you poll my past teammates, I bet 90 per cent would say they enjoyed playing with me.

"I am not insecure to let the comments bother me."

Favre is the all-time leader in several passing categories, including touchdowns (464), interceptions (310), and passing yards (65,127).

He won a Super Bowl with Green Bay in 1997 and was named the Associated Press most valuable player three times, matched only by Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.