Ravens Grab Grbac
Elvis Grbac has a tough act to follow: He'll take over as the starting quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
The challenge is unprecedented. No quarterback coming in from another team has begun a season as the starter for the defending Super Bowl champion.
The free agent agreed to a five-year, $30 million deal with the Ravens on Tuesday, giving the champs the playmaker they were lacking last season when their defense carried them to the NFL title.
"Winning is the only thing on his agenda, playing in a Super Bowl and winning a Super Bowl," agent Jim Steiner said.
Grbac, 31, became the Ravens' top choice to succeed Trent Dilfer after Brad Johnson signed a five-year, $28 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. The Cincinnati Bengals dropped out of the bidding for Grbac after he turned down what Steiner called a more lucrative offer.
"He had an opportunity to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals that would have paid him millions more a year than this offer in the early years of the contract," Steiner said. "But the strength of the Super Bowl champions and the possibility of getting back to the Super Bowl expeditiously were the overriding factors."
Grbac will come to Baltimore on Thursday to sign the contract, take a physical and meet the media.
The eight-year veteran offers hope of improvement for a team that struggled offensively last season, with the quarterback position its trouble spot.
Grbac passed for 28 touchdowns and a career-high 4,169 yards with Kansas City last season, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. In four seasons as a starter with the Chiefs, he threw for 10,643 yards with 66 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
"He will give us that punch we need offensively to get back to the Super Bowl," coach Brian Billick said. "I think he's got the ability to use our speed on the outside."
Billick also said that Grbac's familiarity with the West Coast offense will help him blend quickly with the Ravens.
Grbac's signing means the end of the road in Baltimore for Dilfer, who replaced an ineffective Tony Banks in Week 8, during a stretch when the Ravens went five games without scoring a touchdown.
Dilfer passed for 1,502 yards and 12 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions, and won his final 11 starts with Baltimore, including a 34-7 Super Bowl victory over the New York Giants. But Billick admitted that the Ravens limited their passing game because of Dilfer's inaccurate arm.
The Bengals, who wound up with Baltimore castoff Scott Mitchell as their starting quarterback last season, indicated that Dilfer is among their choices for a quarterback to challenge Akili Smith. The others are Gus Frerotte and Jon Kitna.
Dilfer's agent, Michael Sullivan, did not return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The Ravens released Banks last week, making Chris Redman, a third-round draft pick out of Louisville last year, the backup quarterback.
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