CHICAGO — Quarterback Rex Grossman signed a one-year contract today with the Chicago Bears and will compete for the starting job.

Grossman, a 2003 first-round draft pick, started the Super Bowl for the Bears after an up-and-down season in 2006. He struggled again last year and was benched following the third game. He returned for five more games before injuring his left knee in early December.

Grossman passed for 913 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for an 80.2 passer rating when he returned. In the first three games, his 45.2 rating with one TD and six interceptions contributed to the Bears' 1-2 start.

"Rex has won a lot of football games for us around here," coach Lovie 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."

Grossman has started 30 games with 489 completions in 900 attempts (54.3 percent) for 5,907 yards with 31 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. His career passer rating is 70.9.

Grossman will have to compete for the starting job with Kyle Orton, possibly Brian Griese and another quarterback drafted or signed in free agency.

"This is a little bit different," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "I don't want to say it's tricky, but you're going to have to have a real plan in place to be fair with everybody and to make sure that you're making the right decision because once we make that decision, we're going to go forward with it and we're going to stay with it."

Also today, agent Drew Rosenhaus said he expected clients Bernard Berrian and Lance Briggs to enter free agency rather than sign a contract with the Bears.

"I would say at this time I would project that those guys would at least get to free agency, or at least the beginning of it" Rosenhaus said at the NFL scouting combine. "But the Bears are going to be in the mix as we continue to talk with other teams.

"We're going to have a good, healthy dialogue with them."