Last weekend, the Baltimore Ravens commemorated the tenth anniversary of their first and only Super Bowl win. Attendees included quarterback Trent Dilfer, widely regarded as a “game manager,” who was allowed to leave as a free agent after the Ravens achieved their goal.
A source with knowledge of the situation says that Dilfer and G.M. Ozzie Newsome had “words” at the Saturday night event preceding the on-field ceremony held in conjunction with the Ravens’ overtime victory over the winless Bills.
Though there are rumors that things got heated between the two men, the source says that it was neither loud nor hostile.
“Trent was pissed” that the Ravens let him leave via free agency, the source explained, especially after Dilfer played injured most of the season.
Reached for comment, Dilfer downplayed the situation. “We had about an hour discussion, a little rehash of 10 years ago and a lot of
current [football] stuff,” said Dilfer, who now works as an analyst with ESPN. “Nothing confrontational or juicy, in fact we had some wine
and took some pictures in the process. I could see why some people might [have]
thought it was a big deal, but trust me it wasn’t.”
In his only season with the Ravens, which came after six in Tampa, Dilfer started the final eight regular-season games and all four playoff games. He generated a passer rating of 76.6 in the regular season, and the number improved to 83.7 in the postseason. In the Ravens’ 34-7 Super Bowl win over the Giants, Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Dilfer spent seven more years in the NFL, primarily as a backup. He started 12 games in four seasons with the Seahawks, 11 in one year with the Browns, and six in two seasons with the 49ers.
The Ravens replaced Dilfer with Elvis Grbac. In 2001, Grbac started 14 games, and he generated a passer rating of 71.1. Grbac retired after only one season in Baltimore, at the age of 31.
