Owings Mills, Md. ? Elvis Grbac, signed a year ago to upgrade the Baltimore Ravens’ offense, was released by the team on Friday as the team continued its purge of veterans.

Grbac, who left the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent last March to sign a five-year, $30 million deal with the Ravens, opted to leave the team rather than accept a restructured contract. He would have received a $6 million bonus if he was on Baltimore’s roster as of 3 p.m. Friday.

“We’re disappointed for us and for Elvis,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “We thought a new contract would not only give us obvious help with our salary cap, but benefit Elvis too. We were looking forward to facing the challenges of next season, when we believed he would play at a higher level for us.”

The Ravens signed Grbac less than three months after defeating the New York Giants in the 2001 Super Bowl. He was supposed to provide more offensive punch than his predecessor, Trent Dilfer, but threw 18 interceptions compared to 15 touchdown passes. Grbac’s 71.1 rating was 24th among NFL QBs.