An upbeat Boomer Esiason, cut by the Arizona Cardinals earlier in the day, said Monday night he would consider returning to Cincinnati as a backup quarterback.
But Esiason, who turns 36 next month, said he would not play for a bargain-basement salary, and he had not decided if he would continue his 13-year career.
''Never say never,'' Esiason said. ''I'll entertain it, but I haven't talked to anyone there. I'll come back and maybe we'll have some old-timers' games.''
Esiason said he is considering filing a grievance against the Cardinals, the team he signed a two-year incentive-laden contract with last year.
''They treated me in a lousy manner,'' Esiason said. ''They waited to cut me today and now every team in the league thinks they have their
starting quarterback. I really have no idea what the future holds.''
Esiason said he couldn't real
istically expect to supplant Jeff Blake as the Bengals' starting quarterback.
''I know that if I go to (Cincinnati) I'm not going to be starting when the other guy is making $3 million a year,'' Esiason said. ''Frankly, I don't see (Bengals head coach) Bruce Coslet banging down my door.''
Esiason, whose best years were under Coslet, said he had
not spoken to Coslet on Monday. Coslet was out of town and unavailable for comment.
Mike Brown, the Bengals president and general manager, said the team would consider bringing Esiason back.
''I wouldn't rule it in. I wouldn't rule it out,'' Brown said. ''Clearly we're not looking for a competition. He would have to know coming in he's going to be a backup. I wouldn't want to do anything to make Jeff (Blake) uncomfortable.''
Esiason said he has high regard for Brown because Brown came through on a promise and traded him to Coslet's Jets before the 1993 season.
''Mike made me the richest man in football twice before,'' Esiason said. ''He's loyal and I really appreciate that. By now everyone in Cincinnati knows that or else he would be in Cleveland or Baltimore by now.''
Esiason, who turns 36 on April 17, spent his first nine professional seasons with the Bengals (1984-92). He recorded five of the franchise's eight highest single-season passing totals,
Unhappy during his only season with Arizona - he staged a two-day walkout after Cardinals coach Vince Tobin named Kent Graham to start at quarterback for the last two games of 1996 - Esiason requested to be traded or released in early February.
At that time, he said he wanted a chance to compete for a starting job with a playoff contender.
The Cardinals saved $1.2 million by releasing him.
The Bengals probably won't pay big bucks to a No.Ç2 quarterback after giving Erik Wilhelm about a quarter of a million to do the job last year.
It's assumed Esiason could at least double that this season as a network analyst.
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