It seemed as nothing more than a publicity stunt at the time.

Multiple media outlets reported that the St. Louis Rams contacted Brett Favre's agent, Bus Cook, about a possible comeback by the 44-year-old to replace the injured Sam Bradford.

After looking at a recent picture of Favre at a conference in Orlando, Fla., the idea no longer seems far-fetched. Other than the Santa Claus beard, Favre was wearing, he looked in fantastic physical shape with arms bigger than they ever appeared to be when he was playing.

Middletownpress.com recounted Cook telling Al.com that Favre looked the part of an NFL quarterback last fall.

"His arms look like a blacksmith's arms," Cook said in a September interview with al.com. "He rides a bike probably 30-50 miles a day. He runs four or five miles a day. He's coaching at the high school, and they're undefeated. He loves it. His body fat is 7.5 percent, and he weighs 225 pounds. He could play today, better than a lot of them out there today."

As for his beard, Favre told the NFL Network on Super Bowl Sunday, "I started (his Grizzly Adams beard) at the end of our high school football season. It's that transition from hot to colder hunting season and ... blah blah blah ... I just got lazy."

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The Rams later tried to say the inquiry about Favre was just a joke, according to NFL.com.

It reported that a Rams official initially inquired about signed developmental quarterback Austin Davis, who just happens to share the same agent with Favre. While he had Bus Cook on the phone, the official offhandedly quipped, "Hey, what about Favre?"

"It was just a joke," a Rams source told NFL.com. "It was just a throwaway line. Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor?"

NFL.com added that Favre had interest from multiple teams. Thanks to the recent photo of Favre, the inquiry seems more real.

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