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It was a real struggle for former Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman to get a job this offseason. In the end, this was the best he could do: Underdog competition for Houston's backup role.

Grossman has agreed to a one-year contract with Houston worth the veteran's minimum of $620,000, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. But as my AFC South colleague Paul Kuharsky points out, the Texans paid free agent Dan Orlovsky too much money (three years, $8.5 million) to not make him the primary backup for starter Matt Schaub.

So, yes, Grossman likely will be the No. 3 quarterback in Houston in 2009, if he makes the team. But that appeared to be his best option after a quiet foray into the free-agent market.

Like many quarterbacks who were on the market, Grossman has endured some struggles in his past. But many NFL teams didn't foresee him overcoming those issues in a fresh environment. That's quite a fall for a player who started the Super Bowl three years ago.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Bears officials have a meeting scheduled for next week with representatives of Lewis University in Romeoville, where they might relocate their future training camps. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
  
• Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune reports Minnesota's ticket sales are down 10-15 percent off last year's numbers. Would the addition of quarterback Brett Favre change that?
• Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe referred to the Favre saga as "Favre-a-palooza." Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune has more player reaction.
• Former Vikings coach Mike Tice on his lower public profile as an assistant in Jacksonville: "I haven't done an interview in a couple of years. There was a time in my career when I cared about being in the paper all the time. Now there are other people who are at that point in their careers. God bless them. I was that guy once. Now I just want to win." Vito Stellino of the Jacksonville Times-Union has the story.
• In a chat on the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Web site, Mike Vandermause predicts the Packers will win the NFC North with a 10-6 record.
• To fight their own ticket-sales woes, the Lions have invited 6,000 fans to their June 24 minicamp session, according to Nicholas J. Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press.
• Lions linebacker Alex Lewis should never have been considered a starting-caliber player, writes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com.