Esiason Gets Offer To Rejoin Bengals As Sub

Boomer Esiason says the Cincinnati Bengals have made an offer for him to return as a backup to quarterback Jeff Blake.

Esiason, who led Cincinnati to the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl in 1988, said Friday he had not decided between the Bengals’ offer and one from the Green Bay Packers.

But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in today’s editions that the Packers have agreed to a deal to sign Steve Bono when he is released by the Kansas City Chiefs on June 1.

Packers general manager Ron Wolf told the newspaper that Esiason, who visited the team Monday, is no longer in the running.

The Bengals scheduled a news conference for today, but would not say whether it involved Esiason.

Esiason, 35, spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Bengals (1984-92). He went to the New York Jets in 1993 and to the Arizona Cardinals in 1996.

After losing the starting job with Arizona, he asked to be released from the final year of his contract. It would have paid him $1.2 million.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported today that Esiason met Friday with Bengals owner Mike Brown and coach Bruce Coslet and was offered a two-year deal worth $1.5 million.

“He’s leaning toward Cincinnati,” said Gerald Collins, Esiason’s agent.

Coslet, a longtime friend of Esiason, is intrigued with the possibility of having him on the Bengals.