The Bengals' second attempt to sign a starting quarterback ended as surprisingly as the first when Elvis Grbac said Monday he was going to retire from the NFL.

        The Bengals made Grbac a four-year, $10 million offer Saturday, the day after he was released by the Baltimore Ravens when efforts to restructure his contract failed.

        “"He wasn't planning to retire,” Jim Steiner, Grbac's agent, said Monday afternoon. “It was a spinoff of being released and having to move quickly and get into offseason workouts. He didn't want to uproot his family again. He wants to give them some stability.”

        Grbac is married with three children. He and his wife, Lori, bought a home in Baltimore after he signed there last March.

        “The Bengals made him a generous, handsome offer,” Steiner said. “Cincinnati was his No. 1 place to play. If he hadn't retired, he would have played there.”

        Grbac is the second quarterback to turn down a Bengals offer since free agency opened Friday.

        Seattle re-signed Trent Dilfer a four-year contract with an $8 million base and another $10 million in performance incentives. The Bengals had offered Dilfer a multiyear deal worth more than $8 million, but less than $18 million. Dilfer also received the assurance he would be the Seahawks' starter, the most important part of the deal.

        Bengals president Mike Brown said over the weekend at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis that the Bengals' offer to Dilfer was “considerably more” than the Seattle base, but “considerably less” than the potential value.

        The Bengals, worried about the health of Akili Smith following December hamstring surgery, wanted to sign a quarterback in free agency. The only other veteran who appears to interest them is former Atlanta quarterback Chris Chandler. Chandler's agent, Frank Bauer was traveling Monday afternoon and unavailable for comment.

        Brown said in Indianapolis that if the Bengals were unable to sign a veteran quarterback, they would spend their free-agent money on other players at other positions, mainly tight end and cornerback.

        Free agent Chicago cornerback Walt Harris is scheduled to visit next Monday. And Mark Bartelstein, the agent for former Indianapolis tight end Ken Dilger, said Monday afternoon that he has had several conversations with the Bengals about acquiring Dilger, who played in his first Pro Bowl in February.

        Bengals executives were driving home from Indianapolis on Monday afternoon and were unavailable for comment regarding Grbac's retirement.

        The Bengals had offered Grbac a contract last year that included a $12 million signing bonus and was worth $16 million in the first two seasons. He took less money to sign with the then-defending Super Bowl champion Ravens. Baltimore wanted to reduce his deal to help them cut under the salary cap.

Grbac picks retirement over Bengals NFL notebook

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