Vikings quarterback Brett Favre underwent surgery on his injured left ankle on Friday in Gulf Breeze, Fla., according to ESPN. The network's Chris Mortensen reported that Dr. James Andrews performed the procedure at the Andrews Institute in Florida.

Andrews repaired Favre's partially torn biceps last spring. ESPN reported that Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, were spotted by a handful of people and that Andrews cleaned up scar tissue and other elements of the joint to allow Favre better range of motion.

This is just the latest sign that Favre will return in 2010. Favre, who will turn 41 in October, has yet to tell the Vikings what he plans to do but obviously he would not have had the surgery unless he wanted to play a 20th NFL season.

A source told ESPN that Favre would need four-to-six weeks of rehabilitation before he starts a running program that would put him on schedule to report to training camp. It remains unclear when Favre will show up. Last year, he told the Vikings in late July he planned to stay retired but changed his mind in late August and signed a two-year contract with the Vikings after the team had broken training camp in Mankato.

Cook did not return messages left for him on Friday and the Vikings declined to say if Favre underwent the procedure.

News broke late last month that Favre likely would need surgery on the ankle, which has been operated on twice before in the quarterback's career when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers. Favre dismissed an initial report that he needed the surgery if he wanted to play in 2010 and posted an entry on his website that the injury was not debilitating.

ESPN's report comes after Viking Update published a piece that, citing a source, speculated Favre had undergone the procedure.