The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who never seem to have enough quarterbacks, traded an undisclosed 2009 draft pick to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Brian Griese.
Last week, the Bears re-signed Rex Grossman to a one-year, $3 million deal and then extended the contract of Kyle Orton. Griese, owed a $300,000 roster bonus on Tuesday, was expected to be cut before Tampa Bay stepped forward with a trade proposal.
Griese joins a cluttered quarterback situation in Tampa Bay, where Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Bruce Gradkowski and Chris Simms are already on the roster. The Bucs also own the rights to quarterback Jake Plummer.
Griese, an 11-year veteran who played with Bucs coach Jon Gruden in Tampa in 2004-05, started six games for the Bears last season and had a 3-3 record. He took over for an ineffective Grossman in Week 4 and helped lead a comeback victory at Philadelphia. Griese suffered a left shoulder injury in November and never saw the field again.
Griese passed for 3,768 yards, 27 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in his two seasons in Tampa. His 97.5 quarterback rating in 2004 is the best single-season mark in Bucs' history.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
