LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Some in his position might look at free agency as a golden ticket out of a town, as a chance to start over with a different team in a new city where the scrutiny isn’t as relentless.

But not quarterback Rex Grossman. If all things are equal—primarily the opportunity to play and the contract offer—the unrestricted free agent-to-be would prefer to re-sign with the Bears.

Quarterback Rex Grossman has passed for 31 touchdowns and 33 interceptions in 32 career games with the Bears.

“I love the organization,” Grossman said Wednesday after working out at Halas Hall. “They drafted me. A lot of bad things have happened to me since I’ve been here with injuries and things, but the 2006 season was a special one. We almost completed the ultimate goal.

“I want to finish that. I want to finish what I started and I want to be a Bear for the rest of my life. But if that’s not the case, ultimately I have to do what’s best for me.”

Grossman helped lead the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006 in his first full season as a starter, but he was heavily criticized for committing a rash of turnovers in a handful of poor outings.

The 2003 first-round draft pick was benched after starting the first three games in 2007, but he performed much better in five contests after regaining the No. 1 job from Brian Griese.

Grossman passed for 913 yards with 3 touchdowns, 1 interception and an 80.2 passer rating in his second stint, a vast improvement after throwing for 500 yards with 1 TD, 6 interceptions and a 45.2 rating in the first three games.

With free agency not set to begin until Feb. 29, Grossman is in limbo.

“You always like to know what’s going to happen with you,” he said. “For me, it’s just disappointing that everything didn’t work out [in 2007] the way that I wanted it to. But now I’m just so motivated to get back to the Super Bowl and win it.

“That’s the ultimate goal, but a lot of things are out of my control right now. To handle all the uncertainties, I just worry about what I control and then I’ll make the best decision when all the things are presented.”

Despite the scrutiny Grossman has endured, he isn’t necessarily seeking a change of scenery.

“You can get a fresh start, but the Bears to me are a known commodity,” Grossman said. “You know what you’re going into. You know you’ve got a bunch of great teammates around you.

“The coaching staff knows what I can do more than any coaching staff. They know what my potential is. That’s always comforting when you know that the coaching staff knows exactly how good you can become and good you can be. So there are a lot of good things about being a Bear.”

While Grossman hopes to remain with the Bears, he probably wouldn't hesitate to sign with another team if offered a better chance to play and a more lucrative contract. Asked what he would look for in a potential suitor, Grossman said: “A franchise that is committed to winning and then a level of commitment where you feel like you’re wanted.”  

Addressing the media after the Bears season concluded, general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith both said that they want Grossman to return, but also agreed that stabilizing the quarterback position remains a top priority.

“We would like to have Rex back in the mix,” Angelo said. “Rex showed some good play, particularly when he was coming back off his little sabbatical. But again, we’ve got to get that stabilized. That’s got to be first and foremost.”

“Rex has won a lot of football games for us around here,” Smith said. “You look at how he played at the end of the football season until he came up with that injury, he is playing good football. We would like for him to come back again.”

The Bears have indicated that an open competition could be held to determine the starting quarterback. Grossman would be fine with that and takes issue with those who believe he was just handed the No. 1 job by coaches in previous seasons.

“That’s the perception,” Grossman said. “But reality is they put the best players on the field—the players they feel give them the best chance to win to start the season—and if something changes with that, they make a change. They’ve proven that. That doesn’t mean that they’ve just been giving people jobs.

“I think it’s almost insulting to the coaches to think that there’s not always competition and they don’t play the best guy. It’s insulting to what they do as a profession to assume that they just give people jobs. That’s just not the case.”