According to this report, the Bucs are ready to release veteran quarterback Brian Griese this week, and the 34-year-old could land in New England. Tampa Bay added a pair of quarterbacks this past offseason by signing Byron Leftwich and drafting Josh Freeman. In addition, Luke McCown — who was re-signed earlier in the offseason — remains in the mix. All of which leaves Griese as the odd man out.

The veteran would appear to fit in New England. He was a college teammate of Tom Brady at Michigan, and the Patriots are still without an experienced backup after trading Matt Cassel to Kansas City earlier this offseason. New England currently has four quarterbacks on the roster behind Brady — Kevin O’Connell, Matt Gutierrez, Brian Hoyer and Julian Edelman, the latter of whom was a college quarterback who will likely play receiver in the NFL. None of them have ever started an NFL game.

Griese would certainly appear to be able to fill the role of veteran backup behind Brady, a position which has been occupied over the years by Damon Huard, Vinny Testaverde and Jim Miller. He’s spent 11 years in the league, playing for Denver, Miami, Tampa Bay and Chicago, and is 45-38 as a starter with 119 touchdowns, 99 interceptions and a 63 percent completion percentage.