SAN DIEGO (AP) – Doug Flutie has been sent ramblin’ and scramblin’ once again, and this time it might be for good.

The San Diego Chargers released Flutie on Friday, the latest move in the quarterback’s roundabout 20-year career that has taken him through eight teams in three professional leagues.

The 42-year-old Flutie will always be remembered for the desperation pass against Miami that helped him win the 1984 Heisman Trophy with Boston College. While that play earned him legendary status that lingers to this day, he struggled for success in the NFL because there were always questions about his 5-foot-10 size.

Flutie has always been young at heart and stayed in great shape.

He wanted to stay in San Diego for another season because his daughter, who attends La Jolla High, will be a senior next fall.

“I think Doug definitely wants to try and play at least for another year,” his agent, Kristen Kuliga, said from Boston. “I’ll be looking at what opportunities might be out there, with a team that wants a quality backup quarterback.”

Flutie, a fan favorite wherever he’s played, had two years left on his Chargers contract and was due a $350,000 roster bonus on Tuesday. Counting that bonus, he was to earn $1.35 million in 2005.

Although he was always exciting when he was on the field, Flutie became expendable after Drew Brees, who had an outstanding 2004 season, signed an $8,078,000 contract as the team’s “franchise” player. The Chargers don’t need to carry four QBs, like they did last year, because they also have Philip Rivers, the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, and second-year man Cleo Lemon.

Flutie was heading to Stowe, Vt., on Friday, to play drums in a weekend gig with his Flutie Brothers Band, Kuliga said.

In a statement released by the Chargers, Flutie thanked the late John Butler, who was general manager when the QB signed as a free agent in March 2001, and current GM A.J. Smith.

“There are no hard feelings. It’s a mutual parting,” Flutie said in the statement. “It’s the right thing for me. It opens up other doors of opportunity for me if I want. Rather than retiring outright, I wanted to be released so that I could pursue other things if they arise.”

Flutie often spoke of returning to the CFL, where he starred from 1990-97, but Kuliga said she’d explore all NFL options first.

If no team signs Flutie, he will become the last USFL player to exit the NFL. Punter Sean Landeta, cut last season by the Rams, had often joked of outlasting Flutie for that honor.

Smith said he’ll miss Flutie’s competitiveness and experience.

“I felt very comfortable with him being a part of the Chargers while we were trying to turn this around in a positive way and winning fashion, to know that he was there in any role,” Smith said. “I don’t care if he was first team, second or third team. If we ever had to call upon him, personally I felt good that he would do anything he can to help us win and calm some of these younger kids if they got in a tough situation.

“He’s still got some pretty good skills for a guy who’s going to be 43 years old and is 5-91/2,” Smith said. “He likes to think he’s 5-10, but I’ve told him he’s 5-91/2.”

Smith doesn’t think Flutie will retire, and said he would thrive as a No. 2 quarterback somewhere. Flutie might also pursue a TV job, Smith said.

Flutie followed Butler and Smith from Buffalo in 2001 and started all 16 games for the Chargers that season as he mentored Brees, then a rookie. Brees took over as starter in 2002 and then struggled so much in 2003 that he was replaced by Flutie for five straight starts. In a stunning win over Minnesota in 2003, Flutie threw for two touchdowns and scrambled for two more. He accounted for half of the Chargers’ four wins that season.

Flutie opened last season as Brees’ backup, but was dropped to third-stringer behind Rivers after the Chargers fell to 1-2.

That’s when Brees got hot, keeping both Rivers and Flutie on the bench for most of the season.

Flutie did play in two games. He came on late in the home-opening loss to the New York Jets after Brees sustained a concussion, then started the regular-season finale against Kansas City while Brees rested for the playoffs. Flutie scrambled around, as he often did, and threw one touchdown pass.

Flutie was signed by the New Jersey Generals in 1985 as the USFL tried to use his college stardom to build a following.

He began his NFL career in 1986 with the Chicago Bears. He also played for the New England Patriots before starting an eight-year stint in Canada. He was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player six times, and won three Grey Cup titles.

He was brought back to the NFL by Buffalo in 1998, when Butler and Smith were the Bills’ top personnel men. He helped the Bills reach the playoffs that year, and was also voted to the Pro Bowl and named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

AP-ES-03-11-05 1915EST