Griese, Bucs reach 5-year deal
The QB agrees to a contract for $32-million that virtually assures
him the starting job and Brad Johnson's departure.
By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
Published February 27, 2005
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INDIANAPOLIS - Brian Griese played well enough to deserve a chance
to return as the Bucs starting quarterback.
His new contract guarantees that.
Griese agreed in principal to a five-year
$32-million deal late Saturday although terms of the contract
were not released. The new agreement could be revisited at the
end of the 2005 season.
With Griese's new contract, the Bucs will
release veteran quarterback Brad Johnson before Wednesday, a move
that will save the team about $4.5-million on the salary cap.
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback was
benched after beginning the season 0-4 and replaced by Chris Simms,
who suffered a shoulder injury in his first start at New Orleans.
Agent Ralph Cindrich said Saturday that
Griese's new contract virtually guarantees that he will be considered
the starting quarterback ahead of Simms for the 2005 season.
"Based upon the contract, I think
it's hard to deny it," Cindrich said.
The deal was hatched following what was
considered a final negotiating session between Cindrich and Bucs
general manager Bruce Allen. It wasn't finalized until Cindrich
reached Griese by telephone Saturday night.
"Brian feels great," said Cindrich.
"He's very happy with it. He's very excited to be reunited
with (Bucs coach Jon) Gruden."
Cindrich said that Griese's restructured
contract will alleviate some of the Bucs' salary cap pressure
in 2005. Resigning Griese, who was owed a $6-million roster bonus
by March 2, could enable Tampa Bay to save nearly $4.5-million
on the salary cap.
Restructuring Griese's contract was critical
to the Bucs, who are more than $18-million over the projected
$85-million salary cap, according to Allen.
Griese had been seeking about $4-million
per year while the Bucs were believed to have initially offered
about $2.5-million per season.
When Saturday dawned, it look as if more
than a month of negotiations between Cindrich and Allen would
fail to produce an agreement.
An apparently ominous sign was that the
Bucs arranged a physical for 35-year-old free-agent quarterback
Jeff Garcia in Indianapolis Saturday and had discussions with
him about competing with Simms for the starter position.
Garcia, who injured his shoulder and knee
in his only season at Cleveland, also took a physical for the
Lions.
"Those, in my mind, were the most
important issues," Lions coach Steve Mariucci said. "How
healthy is Jeff? Can he still move around and throw the ball as
effectively and escape as effectively as he was earlier?"
Garcia, with the 49ers from 1999-2003,
nearly signed with the Bucs a year ago, but they couldn't come
close to the four-year, $25-million deal he received from the
Browns.
Griese, who turns 30 next month, finished
third in the NFC with a team-record 94.3 passer rating while competing
69.3 percent of his passes for 2,632 yards. In 11 games, including
10 starts, he threw 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Around the NFL
BEARS: All-Pro receiver Muhsin Muhammad agreed to a six-year contract
one day after being released by Carolina. Muhammad, 32 in May,
was cut Friday because the Panthers did not want to pay a $10-million
roster bonus due on Tuesday. The Bears will give him a $12-million
signing bonus, which is guaranteed money.
REDSKINS: Coach Joe Gibbs said "it's
not very likely" he'll trade Laveranues Coles to the Jets
for Santana Moss, but he refused to slam the door on the swap
of wide receivers, even though it seems to be falling apart. "Laveranues
Coles is a very valuable guy," Gibbs said. "If we can
work something out with somebody, that would be fine. If not,
he'll probably remain a Redskin."
STEELERS: Jerome Bettis, who weighed retiring
after the Steelers lost in the AFC Championship Game last month,
agreed to another pay cut and will play for at least one more
season. It is the second straight season the NFL's No. 5 career
rusher has accepted a substantial pay cut to stay in Pittsburgh.
Bettis, 33, was to have made $4.484-million next season, but will
play for about $1.5-million - or about $500,000 more than his
base salary last season. After the Steelers signed Duce Staley
a year ago, Bettis agreed to cut his salary by $2.7 million to
remain in Pittsburgh as a backup. Bettis went on to enjoy a comeback
season as the Steelers went 16-2, gaining at least 100 yards in
all but one of seven starts while making the Pro Bowl for the
sixth time.
COLTS: As one of six black head coaches
in the NFL, Tony Dungy is following Reggie Fowler's bid to purchase
the Vikings with great interest. The Colts coach has strong feelings
about Fowler's quest to become the league's first black owner.
"Any time you can break ground and
have a landmark situation, it is significant," Dungy said.
"We have not had minority ownership in the NFL, and for that
minority ownership to be African-American, to me, was exciting.
Hopefully, it does happen.'
Information from other news organizations
was used in the report.
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