Trent Dilfer sat patiently in the background of free agency for two years, first earning a Super Bowl ring in Baltimore and then earning a huge fan base in Seattle.

	Trent Dilfer will be happy to listen to offers from other teams this offseason.

Maybe this is the year he moves to the front of the free agent class and finds the security he has sought since his days in Tampa. He could sign in Cincinnati in a minute if he so desired. A year ago, the Bengals were bidding against the Ravens for Elvis Grbac and actually offered him a bigger signing bonus than the Ravens.

Of course, if Grbac is cut by the Ravens -- which is possible if he doesn't reduce his $7.5 million 2002 payout -- the 2002 free agent quarterback market is roughly where it was a year ago. Only a few names have changed, and Dilfer is closer to the front of the talent-thin list than the back.

Tony Banks and Jim Miller are the only fulltime starters from last season on the this year's list of 15 unrestricted free agent QBs. Banks has no market. Miller will learn his fate Friday when his agent, Joe Linta, meets with Bears brass to learn if they are willing to pay him starting money.

If the Bears can't come close to the five-year, $24.5 million given by the Dolphins to Jay Fiedler, Miller might walk, and that puts Dilfer in the front door of the quarterback market. He'd forge ahead of the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe, who would cost at least a first-round choice, as the quarterback to sign for the Bears and Bengals.

If Miller allows Dilfer to take the driver's seat in the game of quarterback musical chairs, Bledsoe and the rest of the available QBs will have to wait to see what Dilfer does. A year ago, Dilfer waited until August before finding a home in Seattle.

The Redskins are only minor players in the quarterback game, and because of salary cap constraints, they couldn't handle a trade for Bledsoe and instead dealt for Danny Wuerffel, with former Steve Spurrier student Shane Matthews possibly joining him soon. Such moves might take Bledsoe's trade value down to perhaps a second-round choice.

The Bills might look at Miller and Saints quarterback Jeff Blake, who will be traded or cut, now that they've released unpopular starter Rob Johnson. The Texans, who are expected to draft Fresno State quarterback David Carr, are looking for a humble veteran looking for a temporary starting job that will quickly turn into a backup role. Gus Frerotte, Kent Graham, Dave Brown and maybe Miller if he leaves Chicago will be candidates.

As for the Ravens, if they blow up the Grbac deal, they will be dealing in the bargain basement department because of their cap. Randall Cunningham wants to come back as a backup, and Chris Redman may get to play. But Grbac would be going into a dangerous market if he can't settle on a reduced salary in Baltimore.

Free agency is great for many, but in some years it's bad. This year, free agency is bad for quarterbacks, and all quarterbacks have to do is ask Dilfer. He's been fighting the tough market for two years.

John Clayton is an ESPN.com senior writer.