Atlanta’s re-signing of Chris Redman continues a curious off-season quarterback trend.

The grass wasn’t greener for six players who could have left elsewhere.

Redman joins Billy Volek (San Diego), Todd Collins (Washington), Rex Grossman (Chicago) and Shaun Hill (San Francisco) as quarterbacks who are returning to their respective club despite having a chance to leave as unrestricted free agents. Derek Anderson (Cleveland) also tested the market as a restricted free agent for about 10 hours today before re-signing.

With the exception of Anderson, there is the possibility none of these players will enter this season as a starter. And even in Anderson’s case, he may be playing elsewhere in several years if Brady Quinn proves ready for the job.

What to make of this?

A) Hill, Grossman, Collins and Redman must believe they have a better shot at starting with their current team than elsewhere.

B) Those same clubs with a fluid starting situation didn’t believe there were better options via trade or free agency. Atlanta and possibly Chicago are expected to have interest in selecting a quarterback early in April’s draft.

Hill and Collins toiled in obscurity for years before cashing in with new contracts, but neither was more off the NFL’s radar than Redman. Out of the league for most of the previous three years, Redman was signed by Atlanta in 2007 because of his familiarity with then-coach Bobby Petrino’s offense from when both were at Louisville. Redman played well enough to show he is at least a competent NFL backup.

See: Petrino did do something good for the Falcons after all.