Bears deal Griese to Bucs

Hours before they were planning to release quarterback Brian Griese rather than pay him a $300,000 roster bonus, the Bears traded the 10-year veteran to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday for an undisclosed 2009 draft pick, believed to be a sixth-rounder.

Griese, 32, started Games 4 through 9 last season after Rex Grossman was benched, and he completed 161 of 262 passes (61.5 percent) for 1,803 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, all of which were team highs, as was his passer rating of 75.6.

But the Bears have decided that the starting job in 2008 will be decided between Grossman and Kyle Orton, both of whom signed new contracts late last month.

When Griese suffered a minor injury to his left shoulder in his last start, the Bears used that as an excuse to get Grossman back in the starting lineup. When Grossman suffered a sprained knee, Orton was given the final three starts of the season.

Griese returns to Tampa Bay, where he played for two years (2004-05) before joining the Bears in 2006. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound Griese spent his first four NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos (1998-2002) after he was drafted in the third round out of Michigan. He played for the Miami Dolphins in 2003.

Griese signed a five-year, $14 million contract with the Bears in March 2006 that includes base salaries of $1.4 million in 2008, $1.8 million in 2009 and $2.2 million in 2010.

• The Bears withdrew their multiyear offer to Pro Bowl special-teams coverage ace Brendon Ayanbadejo, who is seeking to become the NFL's highest paid special-teamer but was never going to accomplish that in Chicago. Ayanbadejo had a visit with the New York Jets scheduled for Monday.

Arizona Cardinals unrestricted free-agent wide receiver Bryant Johnson, who has drawn interest from the Bears, visited Monday with the Buffalo Bills, who are believed to be eager to sign him before he visits any other teams.