Angry Esiason Leaves Cardinals

Boomer Esiason took the Arizona Cardinals to the edge of respectability. Then, incensed over a perceived lack of same for his accomplishments, he walked out.

The 35-year-old quarterback skipped practice Wednesday and asked to be let out of his contract.

The disruption in the team’s preparations to play the Washington Redskins on Sunday came a day after Coach Vince Tobin decided to bench Esiason for the second time this season.

“He’s disappointed that I made the decision to go with Kent Graham, and he didn’t feel like he could come out here and practice and be part of the team this time like he did the last time,” Tobin said. “He requested that we release him, but we’re not going to do that.”

Tobin said he understands Esiason’s dejection and would be the first to welcome him back.

Esiason did not clean out his locker, leaving shoes, caps and other gear behind.

The 1988 most valuable player, who signed a two-year, $1.6-million contract in the off-season, had two stints as a starter with radically different results. He was 0-3 in the first three games, but starting Nov. 10 he came back with the third-best three-game performance in NFL history.

During consecutive victories over the Redskins, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, Esiason passed for 1,149 yards and eight touchdowns. That put to rest the talk that followed him from the New York Jets--that his arm was gone.

The Cardinals have lost their last two games. Tobin said a cooled-off Esiason, coupled with Graham’s return to health after a knee injury, led to the change.

But Esiason told KPNX-TV of Phoenix the move was motivated by incentives in his contract. Esiason needed the next two games to be in line for bonuses of between $300,000 and $350,000.

“It’s not so much Kent as the fact that the incentives are very reachable,” Esiason told the station.

Tobin said he didn’t know anything about incentive money for any of his players.

“Our quarterback situation was very, very strong, and I had to choose between them,” Tobin said. “But I very much wanted Boomer back for next year, because it’s been proven year in and year out that you need more than one quarterback to have success, and that’s what I plan on doing here.”

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Matt Cavanaugh is staying as the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterbacks coach, and Marc Trestman is staying as the team’s offensive coordinator but that might not last long.

Cavanaugh confirmed that he had withdrawn his name from consideration for the head coaching job at Pittsburgh, his alma mater, but he still wants to be an offensive coordinator somewhere.

Trestman, meanwhile, has emerged as a leading candidate for the head coaching job at Minnesota, where he played quarterback from 1974-76.

Trestman has had discussions with the officials at the school, but added that neither he nor university officials has made a final decision.

Trestman at times has had an uneasy association with Bill Walsh, the Hall of Fame coach who returned to the 49ers as an offensive assistant this season. However, team President Carmen Policy said Trestman and Walsh have developed a better working relationship and that he didn’t think it was a factor in Trestman’s willingness to consider leaving.