Two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner expects to be released by St. Louis after being told he won't be the Rams' starting quarterback next season, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said on Tuesday.
Warner, who rose from a small-college star stocking grocery store shelves to Super Bowl hero, was given permission to contact other teams.
Coach Mike Martz met with Warner and starter Marc Bulger to tell them of the decision, Bartelstein said. The move ends offseason talk of training-camp competition between the two.
Bartelstein said he expects a lot of interest in Warner from other teams. "He's too good of a quarterback to sit on the bench," he said.
St. Louis would probably wait after June 1 to cut Warner to reduce the effect on its salary cap.
Rams spokesman Duane Lewis said Martz would address the situation at a predraft news conference on Wednesday, but he added, "At this point, nothing is final."
Bulger started all but one game last season after Warner sustained a concussion and fumbled six times in the opening loss to the New York Giants. Bulger was a Pro Bowl alternate and ended up as the MVP in that game in February.
Warner appeared in only one other game, in a mop-up role. It was a long fall from grace for a star who led the Rams to two Super Bowls.
Warner got the starting job in 1999 after Trent Green injured his knee. The season became a blur of success for a team that had endured a decade of losing records.
Warner led the NFL with 41 touchdown passes, helped the Rams build a 13-3 record and was the Super Bowl MVP after a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
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