Maxman Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Contract will be signed before Tuesday By Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com INDIANAPOLIS -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers early Sunday morning reached agreement with starting quarterback Brian Griese on a complex, restructured contract that will allow him to remain with the team for the 2005 season and possibly beyond. Brian Griese Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers Profile 2004 SEASON STATISTICS Att Comp PaTD RuTD Int Rat 336 233 20 0 12 97.5 The five-year accord was reached after two long days of negotiations, and when the two sides finally hammered out language on what agent Ralph Cindrich had referred to on Saturday evening as "very technical things, issues that are open to interpretation, and that we have to nail down." Griese, who was honoring a speaking engagement Saturday night, was then apprised of the outline of the contract, and agreed to its terms. Both sides will sign the contract before Tuesday, when Griese was due a $6 million roster bonus the Bucs did not intend to pay. Without the restructured deal, Tampa Bay, which is struggling to whittle down a $17 million salary cap overage, would have been forced to release Griese, who has played for three different teams over the past three seasons. The new deal should save the club about $4 million against the 2005 spending limit. All along, restructuring Griese's contract was part of the Tampa Bay strategy for dealing with its cap mess. The team made it clear that, minus a reworked contract, Griese would have been jettisoned on Tuesday, when all teams must be in compliance with the cap ceiling. In what is structured as a deal that will essentially allow the two sides to revisit the contract after every season, Griese could earn as much as $32.6 million. Similar to his prior contract, this one also includes large roster bonuses every year. Those bonuses, all due before the start of the free agency period every year, will basically force an annual review of Griese's performance. The bonuses could also force future restructurings. Tampa Bay is certain now to release former starting quarterback Brad Johnson, who led the Bucs to a Super Bowl XXXVII victory, but who last year fell out of favor with coach Jon Gruden and lost his No. 1 job. In a bounce-back 2004 campaign, Griese, 29, started 10 games and completed 233 of 336 passes for 2,632 yards, with 20 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. His passer rating of 97.5 was the second highest of his career, his best since 2000, and third best in the NFC. He also led the NFL in completion percentage. For his career, he has appeared in 69 games and started 66 of them, completing 1,351 of 2,144 passes for 15,208 yards, with 96 touchdown passes and 71 interceptions in stints with Denver (1998-2002), Miami (2003) and Tampa Bay (2004). A former University of Michigan standout, Griese has played in two Pro Bowl games. Even as they negotiated with Griese's agent, Bucs officials were making contingency plans for the quarterback position. The team arranged a Saturday physical for free agent quarterback Jeff Garcia, who was here to undergo an examination by Detroit Lions doctors. Garcia, recently released by Cleveland after only one season, was tentatively set to meet with Gruden on Saturday night, but that session was canceled. In a related matter, it appears the cap-strapped Bucs will not gain relief from perennial Pro Bowl weakside linebacker Derrick Brooks, whose 2005 cap charge is a ponderous $9.6 million. Roosevelt Barnes, the agent for Brooks, said Saturday that the two sides are stalemated and that it appeared there is no middle ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 This kid plays well but he is just never on the field. 10 games last year. There is always some kind of injury with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardSeymour Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Wonder if they might release Brooks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomShane Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Chris Simms? You want a job? We're looking for moderators on www.jetnation.com! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 1, 2005 Author Share Posted March 1, 2005 Chris Simms? You want a job? We're looking for moderators on www.jetnation.com! I don't think he would do a job job. He is biased towards the 86 Giants. Have to be impartial here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124 Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 It's too bad that Simms probably now isn't going to get the chance to be a starter there, he'll have to wait till his contract runs out because they are way too high on this over-rated guy. Griese is nothing special and the sooner they find that out, the better. Start Simms or send him to New York, Gruden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardSeymour Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Chris Simms? You want a job? We're looking for moderators on www.jetnation.com! Really, I cannot recommend TX strongly enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardSeymour Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 One reason to seriously consider TX.... Have you ever seen JonEJet turn purple and suffer a nervous breakdown? Want to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrik Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Also read that Jeff Garcia completed a physical for the Bucs yesterday. if they sign him, should make the QB situation interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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