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The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly hiring former Monday Night Football analyst Brian Griese as their quarterbacks coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham.
Griese played quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was on the coaching staff.
Griese played college football at Michigan and was selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He spent five seasons in Denver before going on to play for the Miami Dolphins, Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.
In 93 career games, he went 45-38, completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 19,440 yards and 119 touchdowns against 99 interceptions.
Griese played in Tampa from 2004-05 and ended his career as a member of the franchise in 2008. Shanahan was an offensive quality control coach for the Buccaneers from 2004-05 before joining the Houston Texans as a wide receivers coach in 2006.
Griese will now play a significant role in the development of 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, who is expected to take over as San Francisco’s starting quarterback next season. Veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be traded this offseason.
Lance, 21, appeared in six games for the 49ers in 2021, making two starts. He completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions and rushed for 168 yards and a score.
Griese has never coached at any level, so his approach to coaching Lance should be fascinating to watch. He’s replacing Rich Scangarello, who took a new job as offensive coordinator for the University of Kentucky.
Griese’s departure from ESPN doesn’t come as a surprise following the company’s hiring of Troy Aikman, who will be in the booth for Monday Night Football.