The agent for Jim Kelly said that the former Buffalo Bills quarterback would come out of retirement only to play for Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda, and added that Kelly could set up a workout in Baltimore soon.

Dan Kelly, Kelly's brother and agent, said he expects to speak with Ravens vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome later this week at the NFL scouting combine, which will take place Thursday through Monday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

"We may know something more in the next few days. We are very interested and sincere about coming back," Dan Kelly said.

"Jim would have to play for Coach Marchibroda. Jim feels he can still play, and Coach Marchibroda feels he can still play. It's got to be the right deal. If everything turns out the way we want, Jim will be a Baltimore Raven."

According to his brother, Kelly, who turns 38 Feb. 14, has begun to work out in Buffalo, and is throwing continuously for the first time since September. If he impresses the Ravens enough and passes a physical, Dan said Jim Kelly would be enticed by a contract in the two- or three-year range.

Said one league source: "If Kelly comes [to Baltimore] and throws 10 good spirals, he's a Raven."

Last week, Marchibroda said if Kelly signed with the Ravens, he would be named the starter.

All in due time, Newsome said.

"We still have to work [Kelly] out," Newsome said. "Dan has still got to tell me whether Jim wants to play or not. I don't think that's been established yet."

Jim Kelly, speaking yesterday at a news conference in Buffalo regarding a Feb. 14 event named for his ailing son, Hunter James, said: "I haven't even decided if I want to come back. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately. There's a lot of things I have to think about."

Kelly and his wife, Jill, have been caring for their 11-month-old son, who has been fighting Krabbe's disease, a degenerative disorder of the nervous system that is usually fatal.

Kelly said the Ravens called him for the first time last week about becoming their starting quarterback.

"I knew as much as anybody else from watching TV and the newspapers," he said. "I didn't think they were serious until they called last Friday. We're expecting to hear something."

Newsome said last week that one factor influencing Kelly's decision to end his one-year retirement is the chance to get back to a Super Bowl. Kelly lost four straight Super Bowls with the Bills between the 1990 and 1993 seasons.

When reminded that the Ravens are coming off a 6-9-1 season and have won only 10 games over their two seasons in Baltimore, Dan Kelly said, "Jim thinks [the Ravens] have got a good, strong offensive line. He thinks they're only about four players away [from being a Super Bowl team]."

NOTES: Newsome said if Tampa Bay running back Errict Rhett, who rushed for 1,000 yards in 1994 and 1995 before eventually losing his job to Warrick Dunn, became available, he would take a good look at the four-year veteran as the Ravens seek to upgrade their offensive backfield. "I saw Rhett's agent at the Senior Bowl [in mid-January]," he said. "I don't know if Tampa is willing to trade him. We could have some interest." Rhett rushed for 96 yards on 31 carries and scored three touchdowns in 1997. Former Ravens cornerback Eugene Daniel, a 14-year veteran, will not be back in Baltimore as a player, although he could end up here as a defensive assistant coach. The Ravens also could make a run at free-agent running back Gary Brown, who rushed for a team-high 945 yards with San Diego last year.

Pub Date: 2/03/98