In response to our item from earlier today that Bucs quarterback Brian Griese is seeking non-football opportunities and, thus, contemplating retirement, a source with knowledge of the situation refutes that Griese is thinking about quitting.
Of course, Griese's supposed plan to keep playing doesn't really mesh with the fact that he didn't show up for a mandatory minicamp this week.
Then again, it could be that Griese is hoping he gets cut. Traded last year to the Bucs after two seasons of a five-year deal, the remaining allocation on Griese's $4.5 million signing bonus is $1.8 million. So, if he retires, he'll have to pay that money to the Bucs -- even though they didn't pay him a dime of it. (They did the same thing not long ago to Jake Plummer.)
From the team's standpoint, the Bucs seem to be content to keep Griese on the back burner unless and until injuries strike the quarterback depth chart; that said, Griese remains an unexcused absence for the ongoing camp.
Under the CBA, his absence exposes him to a potential debt of $225,000, which represents 25 percent of his 2009 signing bonus allocation.
Bottom line? We stand by the report that Griese has been looking for work at a job other than football player. Maybe his ability to find something else will influence his decision to play, to not play, to retire, or to hope to be released.
I am shocked, teams are lining up to sign this guy.
I saw the Colts and Pats GM's fighting to see who gets to sign him first.
That would be a wierd twist. The Pats pick him up as an experienced back up and he watches from the sidelines as Tom Brady wins another Super Bowl.
Wierd because Brady watched from the sidelines when Griese won the Rose Bowl and a shared national title with it.
He's good enough to be back up somewhere. The problem is that his price tag may be too high.
"Bottom line? We stand by the report that Griese has been looking for work at a job other than football player."
Hear that, Mysterious Mr. Source? Florio just called you a liar, and meant it. Why you wanna try and lie to Mike like that???
Dear God, let go of the Griese stories already. Who cares if he plays or doesn't play. He won't be playing for the Bucs this upcoming season and if he goes someplace else, he'll be riding the pine. Damn, Griese is getting more media coverage here in the past few days than Lord Favre. Hmmmm.
Tampa Bay has a pretty good reputation for QB's in their history: Vinny Testaverde and Steve Young became Pro Bowlers after they left; Doug Williams and Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl when they left; Jake Plummer, Steve Spurrier and Brian Griese saw their careers come to a screeching halt there; and then there were the one-year-nobodies like Shaun King and Bruce Gradkowski - which makes me wonder how Brad Johnson doesn't have a statue in front of Raymond James Stadium.
More speculation on a retiring QB and it does not mention Favre. What will NBC say about this?
Again "a source with knowledge of the situation " spotting. These are always uber confortable to stand behind. If you are wrong this unnamed source takes the fall and no harm, but if you are right it means you have utilizied one of your "legion" of sources. Florio you really belong in government.
>>>Maybe his ability to find something else will influence his decision to play, to not play, to retire, or to hope to be released.<<<
Or maybe -- if your, as usual, unidentified source is correct -- he's making backup plans "just in case," as many Americans are doing these days.