Tucked away in the final line of a press release announcing the signing of third-round pick DT Roy Miller, the Buccaneers also announced on Monday that veteran QB Brian Griese had been released.

The move comes as no surprise. Griese, 34, has stayed apart from the team during mandatory OTAs and minicamps during the offseason as the writing appeared on the wall regarding his non-future in Tampa. Griese had reportedly asked to be traded or released, while the Bucs appeared to be holding onto him in hopes of getting something in return. Now Griese gets his wish.

The Bucs now appear set to bring four QBs into training camp, with first-round pick Josh Freeman and veteran addition Byron Leftwich joining holdover Luke McCown and Josh Johnson, a second-round pick in 2008.

Griese started five games in his second stint with the Bucs last season, completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 1,073 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He started four of the first five games — the Bucs went 3-1 — before he was sidelined by an elbow injury, and later started in a Week 15 loss to Atlanta.

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