MANKATO, Minn. — Even though Brett Favre has told some of his teammates he’s calling it a career, the Minnesota Vikings are hoping for one last change of heart from the quarterback who just can’t stay retired.

Favre has started to contact teammates and Vikings officials to say he will not return for a 20th NFL season, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said on Tuesday evening.

“He told a couple guys on our team he’s going to retire,” Shiancoe said after practice. “He hasn’t told me yet. I’m going to check my phone right now, but it hasn’t been said publicly yet so I don’t know what to believe.”

Earlier Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the 40-year-old Favre contacted the Vikings to say he wouldn’t return this season because his injured left ankle is not responding as well to surgery and rehabilitation as he had hoped. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcements were made.

Coach Brad Childress said Favre had not told him directly that he plans to retire as of Tuesday morning. The coach would not confirm Favre’s status with the team, calling it a “fluid situation,” and he was unavailable for comment after the evening practice. Owner Zygi Wilf declined to comment.

“I’m not a big hearsay person,” Childress said. “I gotta hear it from the horse’s mouth.”

As always with the former MVP, things could change. Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, did not return messages from the AP.

“I plead the fifth on everything,” defensive end Jared Allen said. “I love Brett and he reserves the right to do what he wants to do. We obviously love him as a teammate. We’d like to have him back. But until it’s official, I’ll believe it when I see it.”