Jeff Garcia appeared bound for Tampa, where he was Sunday night
with the full expectation that he would be a Buccaneer within a
day. Just 24 hours later, the free agent quarterback all but locked
up the job as a starter in a city more than 1,000 miles away.
By SCOTT FORSTNER and DAVID STEFFENSON
Sports Editor and Assistant Editor
Jeff Garcia appeared bound for Tampa, where he was Sunday night with the full expectation that he would be a Buccaneer within a day. Just 24 hours later, the free agent quarterback all but locked up the job as a starter in a city more than 1,000 miles away.
A six-day whirlwind took the Gilroy native through Atlanta, the home of his old 49ers assistant coaches Jim Mora and Greg Knapp; Cleveland, which offered a starting role in a historic football city; and finally Tampa, the home of the coach he always wanted to play for.
Garcia finally settled on the Browns late Monday when the cash-strapped Bucs could not work around the salary cap to complete the deal.
In the process, the complicated world of free agency became so muddled that even Garcia’s own father was not sure what the deal was the morning after his son told him Tampa Bay was for sure.
“He’s going to Florida,” Bobby Garcia told The Dispatch Sunday night, but that all changed Monday night. “(Tampa Bay) offered him a contract and everything, but the numbers just didn’t work out.”
Even Cleveland Browns President Carmen Policy thought Garcia could be headed to Tampa Bay.
“Mr. Policy was on a local flagship station (in Cleveland) and he expressed he thought that might be the case,” Browns spokesman Jeff Walcoff said.
In the end, Garcia’s respect for Gruden did not outweigh a bigger deal and an all-but-sure starting spot on the Cleveland Browns, who signed him to a reported two-year, $10 million contract with an option for another two years that would make it a four-year, $25 million deal.
“We’re Brown,” said Bobby Garcia from his Gilroy home Tuesday morning. “I’m excited that he’s on a team. I’m excited they worked with him. They compensated him. He’s the guy. He’s excited about (Coach Butch Davis), playing for the second youngest team in the NFL, and the owner wants to win.”
The quarterback’s agent, Steve Baker, summed up the reasoning.
“In Cleveland, Jeff comes in as the starting quarterback. He is also excited not only by the organization but also the passion of the fans and storied tradition of football in Cleveland,” said Baker.
“Cleveland and Tampa Bay provide two entirely different exciting situations, both of which Jeff considered very seriously. There were many appealing aspects of Tampa, most significantly Jeff’s familiarity with and potential in Jon Gruden’s offense.”
The Browns have tentatively scheduled a press conference to announce Garcia’s signing at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, but the team would not confirm any details about the contract.
Garcia and his new coach, Butch Davis, will likely address the Tampa Bay situation at that time, Walcoff said.
“It’s done,” said Bobby Garcia, who was just happy to see his son join another NFL team even if not with Gruden and the Bucs. “You want to be paid for what you’re worth. If you are not going to be paid, you might question yourself down the road.”
The Gilroy native earned more than $20 million over the last two years of his five-year stint with the 49ers, where he was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback before being released last Tuesday in a salary cap move.
Garcia joins a Cleveland team that is coming off a dismal 5-11 campaign in 2003. One of those victories was a 13-12 victory in San Francisco.
The Browns used two quarterbacks last season, Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb. Couch had been working with the Browns to restructure his contract over the off-season, but the overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft rejected the team’s offer.
Holcomb passed for 1,797 yards last season, completing 193-of-302 pass attempts with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while Couch threw for 1,319 yards, completing 120-of-203 pass attempts with seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
The two flip-flopped as the Browns’ starting quarterback with Holcomb beginning the season with the job and then Couch retaking the position he lost in training camp.
The Garcia-led Niners finished 7-9 overall last season and the garlic slinger’s string of 61 straight starts ended due to nagging injuries to his back and ankle.
Garcia finished the year with a 57.4 percent pass completion, passing for 2,704 yards on 225-of-392 attempts with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 34-year-old passed for more than 30 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons with the Niners, and set the team record for total offense with 4,278 yards in the 2000-01 season.
Staff Writer Eric Leins contributed to this article.
