PITTSBURGH -- Kordell Stewart could be in his final month with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

	Stewart

With a pair of important deadlines approaching and the Steelers engaged in no active trade talks involving their former starting quarterback, it appears they will release Stewart on or about Feb. 28.

That date is important not only because it is the start of the NFL free agent signing period, but also is the day the league's 2003 salary cap goes into effect.

With this year's cap set at $75 million, the Steelers are currently about $1.8 million over. That could rise to as much as $4 million after various 2002 player bonuses and incentives are paid.

The Steelers could get under that figure just by releasing Stewart, who is scheduled to make $6.3 million in 2003. No matter what they do, a prorated $1.62 million share of the $8 million signing bonus they paid Stewart in 1999 will count against their cap.

The Steelers have not said what they plan to do with Stewart. However, Stewart's agent, Leigh Steinberg, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he expects Stewart to be released.

With Stewart likely to be on the open market, teams seem reluctant to part with any players for his services. If he is released, Stewart, as a vested veteran, would be free to sign with any team.

One of those teams reportedly is the Dolphins, the Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday. Miami coach Dave Wannstedt repeatedly has said during the offseason that Jay Fiedler will be the starter in 2003. However, the team would like to upgrade the backup spot held by Ray Lucas and Sage Rosenfels.

"(Stewart) wants to start, but it's unclear where there will be a starting spot," Steinberg told the newspaper. "No one is simply going to give Kordell a starting spot, but I think the best thing to do is find a competitive situation. .. But Kordell is attracted to Miami."

Stewart's turbulent career with the Steelers, which included two trips to the AFC championship game as well as their two worst seasons since the 1980s, appears to be ending just a year after it peaked.

After being benched in 1999 and 2000, Stewart was chosen by his teammates as the Steelers' MVP after leading them to a 13-3 record and an AFC title game appearance in the 2001 season.

But following a dreadful start last season that saw the Steelers lose their first two games and nearly lose a third before Tommy Maddox replaced him, Stewart spent nearly the entire season on the bench.

Once it became obvious Maddox was the starter, Stewart made it clear he didn't agree with the decision, but he also declined to speak out so as not to disrupt the team chemistry.

Still, it was evident the move upset him, and he promised he would be a starter in 2003, even if it wasn't with the Steelers.

"I'm a starter, I want to be a starter and they know I'm a starter," Stewart said. "Everybody knows that. I am a starter in this league and I can be a starter in this league for a few more years."

With numerous NFL teams looking to upgrade at quarterback, Stewart could have his choice of teams. The Dallas Cowboys were once thought to be the front-runner, but that was before they hired Bill Parcells as coach.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.