The Washington Redskins announced on Monday that they will pick up the fifth-year option on Robert Griffin III’s rookie contract. It’s an option that guarantees him over $16 million for the 2016 season.
It’s also a decision that has been met with criticism and question marks alike.
How in the world does a team guarantee a quarterback $16 million after he’s lost 15 of his past 20 starts? How does it do so with the very same quarterback missing nearly one-third of the team’s games over the past two seasons?
RGIII’s struggles are well documented. Over the course of that 20-game stretch mentioned above, he’s tallied a total of 21 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions and has led the Redskins to an average of under 20 points per game. In the past 10 games that the former Heisman winner has both started and finished, Washington is averaging 14.5 points per outing.
If that’s not mediocrity, I am not sure what is.
By virtue of picking up his option, the Redskins have committed to paying RGIII what would currently amount to the 13th-highest salary among quarterbacks in 2016, ahead of Tom Brady and right below what Peyton Manning is expected to earn.
That’s not a representation of a front office that’s fully aware of what it’s doing. Why not let RGIII play out the final year of his contract, and then make a decision from there? After all, most people are viewing this upcoming season as a make-or-break campaign for the former top pick. It’s not like he would have been a franchise tag candidate in the first place. You simply don’t throw around over $16 million to a signal caller that is two years removed from playing even average football. You definitely don’t do that when said signal caller has been injury plagued since he was an above-average player back in 2012.
Some may argue that Washington’s in a no-win situation at quarterback. Kirk Cousins doesn’t appear to be a starter-caliber player, and Rex Grossman is nothing more than a backup at this stage. Short of exhausting the fifth pick on Marcus Mariota, the Redskins simply don’t have a better short-term option than RGIII.
All that said, this doesn’t mean that the team should have committed to the embattled quarterback beyond the 2015 season. Rumors of issues with other members of the team, and a public rift with head coach Jay Gruden, only create more question marks here.
New Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan may be one of the best in the business at evaluating talent, but it’s clear he had no real input here. Owner Daniel Snyder continues to call the shots in D.C., and that should be worrisome to fans in the nation’s capital.
Until Snyder lets football people actually run the football side of the business, situations like this will continue to arise. Situations that will have the Redskins paying a struggling quarterback just a few million less per year than what Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson will earn in his new contract.
Think about that for a second.
Photo: USA Today Sports