Brian Griese sold to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brian Griese was traded on March 3, 2008, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick.

Photo: Brian Griese sold to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Earlier the Chicago Bears announced their decision to either cut or trade Griese, who played for the team only 4 years (originally, it was a five-year deal worth between $14 million and $20 million depending on incentive clauses).

After signing with the Bears, Griese saw limited action. Though he fared better than Rex Grossman during the 2006 Pre-Season, coach Lovie Smith decided to keep Griese as the Bears’ second string quarterback. He took late fourth quarter snaps at the end of major victories.

After Grossman struggled during the first three outings of the 2007 Chicago Bears season, Smith turned to Griese to lead the team. In his first outing as a Bears starter, Griese threw two touchdowns and three interceptions in a losing effort against the Detroit Lions. The next week, he lead the Bears to a game winning drive against the Philadelphia Eagles. Griese lost the starting job to Grossman after sustaining an injury against the Oakland Raiders during week ten. Ironically, Griese replaced Grossman again later in the season, after Grossman sustained a knee injury against the Washington Redskins. However, with the Bears out of the playoffs, Kyle Orton started the remaining 3 games of the season.

Photo: mybearsandblackhawksblog.wordpress.com