DAVIE, Fla. -- Brian Griese followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Miami Dolphins on Monday, signing a two-year contract with the team after passing a physical.

The former Denver Broncos starter, who agreed to the deal Friday, will earn $530,000 in base salary this season, plus a $1 million signing bonus.

The second year of the deal will cost Miami more than $6 million in salary cap space, meaning the team would either have to release Griese, restructure his deal or make him the starting quarterback.

"It feels very nice to come back home. ... I've learned a lot, I've grown a lot and I'm looking forward to a new chapter in my career," Griese said. "I couldn't think of a better place to do it than here in Miami."

Griese will be listed second on the team's depth chart, behind starter Jay Fiedler and ahead of Sage Rosenfels, the team's No. 3 quarterback a year ago.

"I'll do anything I can to help this team win, no matter what it is," Griese said.

The team announced Griese's signing at a news conference Monday afternoon. His father, Hall of Famer Bob Griese, led the Dolphins to two Super Bowl wins, including their perfect season in 1972.

Griese was Denver's starter for four seasons, going 27-24 and never winning a playoff game -- a major disappointment for a franchise which won consecutive Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999 under John Elway, who retired after the second title.

Griese threw for 14 touchdowns in his first season as Elway's replacement, then had a Pro Bowl year in 2000, taking the Broncos to the playoffs after 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. But Denver lost a wild-card game to Baltimore that season and haven't been back to the playoffs since.

Denver coach Mike Shanahan benched Griese for the final game of the 2002 regular season, essentially announcing that Griese's tenure with the Broncos was over. The team told Griese he could seek a trade in February, shortly before it signed former Arizona quarterback Jake Plummer to a seven-year, $40-million deal.

No trade could be arranged for Griese because of the Broncos' salary-cap problems, so the team released him on June 2, a move which will save Denver $4.9 million against the cap this season and more than $6 million over the next two seasons.

Agent Ralph Cindrich said multiple teams had expressed interest in signing Griese over the past week, but maintained all along that Miami was the front-runner.

The Dolphins are expected to release one of their two rookie quarterbacks, either Josh Blankenship or Lon Sheriff.