The possibility of former Baltimore Ravens QB Marc Bulger returning to the team, much less any team, just pretty much ended as he announced his retirement, according to stories on both the National Football Post and ESPN. At one point, Bulger was thought to be the hottest veteran QB on the free agent market, rumored to be going to the Arizona Cardinals, who instead traded for former Philadelphia Eagles QB, Kevin Kolb.
The thought of Bulger returning to Baltimore became a possibility after it seemed his chances of being a starter elsewhere had significantly dimmed, but rather than accepting a backup role he decided to retire instead. This means that if the Ravens are not willing to have rookie Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech) as startng QB Joe Flacco's bckup, they will have to look elsewhere for another veteran. However, Pro Football Talk is reporting that Taylor may indeed wind up in the role behind Flacco.
While the team still has QB Hunter Cantwelll in camp, taking snaps with the second team ahead of Taylor, Tyrod's upside is much more favorable for him to stick with Baltimore even if the team decides to bring in another veteran as the second-stringer in front of Taylor. Veteran quarterbacks still on the free agent market include Brodie Croyle, Jake Delhomme, Brian Brohm, Todd Bouman, and it has even been mentioned that Daunte Culpepper was looking to make a comeback.
Since the pickings on the free agent market are slim, there is still the possibility that the Ravens may trade for a veteran backup, but the chance of Taylor getting the job increases day-by-day. At the same time, with Flacco starting every game since his rookie season, the hope will be that, be it Taylor or anyone else, their job ends up being a clipboard holder for 2011 and beyond.