John Matthews
WMAL.com
ASHBURN, VA — (WMAL) RGIII, you are relieved of your command. Captain Kirk – The bridge is yours.
According to multiple media reports, Redskins coach Jay Gruden told the team Monday that Kirk Cousins will be the starting quarterback with the Skins open the regular season against the Miami Dolphins. The move appears to bring the Robert Griffin III era to an end in Washington.
ESPN reported Sunday that high-ranking front office managers and coaches on the Redskins’ staff want to either trade or cut Griffin, but they were getting resistance from team owner Daniel Snyder. The sports network also reported that the team has had trade conversations with several teams concerning RGIII, but has found no potential takers thus far.
Subsequent reports by the Washington Post, among others, assert that Snyder does not oppose moving forward without Griffin. ESPN’s Ed Werder reports Snyder is embarassed by the team’s lack of success and is willing to back General Manager Scot McCloughan and Gruden if they feel the team can win without RGIII.
Griffin may be difficult to trade. The team exercised an option during the offseason to retain Griffin next season at a cost of $16.1 million. If Griffin is injured for any reason entering next season, that salary will be guaranteed to Griffin, and it may prove difficult to find a team willing to take on Griffin with that much money tied to him. The Redskins could choose to cut Griffin, but that would require the team to take a $6.7 million hit against this season’s salary cap. If he’s cut, any team would then be able to pick up RGIII.
Griffin, who was slated to be the team’s starting quarterback this season, has not played nearly as well as his two backups, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, during the preseason. Griffin was on the bench during Saturday’s game against Baltimore after doctors refused to clear him to play, citing neurological concerns stemming from a concussion he suffered during the August 20th preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
If he remains with the team, it appears likely Griffin would be the third-string quarterback, and would only play in an emergency, given the team’s incentive to keep him from getting hurt.
Griffin’s fall from superstar to rockbottom has been nearly three years in the making. After leading the team to the playoffs in 2012, RGIII was named the NFL Rookie of the Year. He tore two ligaments in his right knee during the Redskins’ playoff loss to Seattle, and has not been the same ever since. In addition to continuing to struggle to progress as an NFL-style pocket passer, it’s apparent that Griffin has lsot some of his once-blazing speed, in part because of his 2013 knee injury, and also stemming from the dislocated ankle that knocked him out of six games in 2014.
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