LAKE FOREST, Ill. – With Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton slated to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2008, the Bears have given Brian Griese’s agent, Ralph Cindrich, permission to seek a trade for the 10-year veteran.

Griese appeared in seven games in 2007, compiling a 3-3 record as a starter while completing 161 of 262 passes for 1,803 yards with 10 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 75.6 passer rating. Griese is due a $300,000 roster bonus on Tuesday.

Brian Griese joined the Bears in 2006 after spending his first eight NFL seasons with the Broncos, Dolphins and Buccaneers.

With the free agency period having kicked off at 11 p.m. Thursday, the Bears continue to monitor the status of linebacker Lance Briggs, wide receiver Bernard Berrian and special teams standout Brendon Ayanbadejo, all of whom have reached the open market.

General manager Jerry Angelo said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Bears have made “aggressive” offers to all three players and expect to remain in the mix.

A draft-driven team that believes in rewarding its own players with contract extensions, the Bears won't overpay for free agents.

“The thing that you have to do is you have to create sobriety in the marketplace,” Angelo said at the Combine. “Because you have the money doesn’t mean you have to spend all the money. 

"You have to put values on players and then you have to stay disciplined to that, or else what you are going to wind up doing is you’re going to keep all those players at an exorbitant amount of money—way beyond how you valued the player.

“A year from now or two years from now you’re going to look back and that money shrinks up and you’re going to need to [sign] other players and all of a sudden those players become targets, and we don’t want to get into that cycle where you have those cap casualties. Then you have that dead money. You have to look at it from a broad picture, not just isolate this year and how much cash and how much cap room you have.”

Last summer the Bears signed Charles Tillman and Nate Vasher to long-term extensions. The starting cornerbacks were both due to become unrestricted free agents following the 2007 season.

The Bears recently have also locked up Orton, tight end Desmond Clark and defensive end Alex Brown with extensions, while signing Grossman to a one-year deal just six days before he was slated to hit the open market.