"Rex Grossman is the starter," Lloyd said during a conference call.
Well, not exactly.
The Bears have said that Grossman and Kyle Orton will compete for the starting job next season, and Lloyd apparently jumped to a premature conclusion. When asked who told him Grossman would start, the receiver backpedalled.
"That's what I'm assuming," said Lloyd, who was released after two disappointing seasons in Washington. "That's what ..."
His voice trailed off. Then, he said, "Orton and Grossman signed one-year deals. I figured Grossman was the starter. Open competition is what I'm being told right now."
Grossman, who got benched early last season and returned for five games before injuring his left knee, re-signed with the Bears for one year and $3 million with $1.5 million possible in incentives. Orton got a one-year contract extension that runs through the 2009 season.
And just to be clear, offensive coordinator Ron Turner said there will be a competition.
Speaking right after Lloyd, Turner started by saying, "Brandon said that he assumed it would be Rex. I just wanted to clarify that before we got going. You guys know the situation. It's an open competition. Both guys have been told that, and when I talked to Brandon about the quarterback situation, I talked about both guys
- about Rex Grossman and Kyle. We've got two guys who can get the ball to all of our receivers."
While the quarterback competition unfolds, the Bears will also sort out the rotation at wide receiver.
Bernard Berrian signed a six-year, $42 million contract with Minnesota after catching a career-high 71 passes for 951 yards and five touchdowns for Chicago, and the team released veteran Muhsin Muhammad. That leaves Lloyd and the recently signed Marty Booker competing with holdovers Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and, possibly, restricted free agent Rashied Davis.
