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Former NFL agent calls Robert Griffin III ‘a pawn’ in Kirk Cousins negotiations

Courtesy of USA Today

There is absolutely no chance Robert Griffin III will be a member of the Washington Redskins in 2016, but he is still on the roster, even though he could easily be cut right now. With zero guaranteed money on his fifth-year option, the Redskins could cut him without any penalty, so why is he still there?

According to former NFL agent Joel Corry, via JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic, RG3 is still on the roster because he’s being used as “a pawn” right now as Washington attempts to lock up soon-to-be free agent Kirk Cousins.

It’s not much of a threat, though. Any notion that Washington would be comfortable rolling with RG3 and letting Cousins walk out the door to free agency is simply not based in reality.

“The agent’s not going to buy it,” Corry said of Cousins’ representative Mike McCartney. “The agent’s probably trying hard not to laugh.”

Cousins is proving difficult to satisfy in contract negotiations, and if Corry’s assertion is true then the Redskins are utilizing desperate measures, to be certain.

A recent report indicated talks between the quarterback and Washington have broken off, and it seems likely the franchise will be forced to use the franchise tag to keep him from bolting.

Head coach Jay Gruden has no desire to keep Griffin III, who spent most of the 2015 season walking the sidelines in street clothes. Once the most hyped young quarterback in the league, RG3 is now in a position where he needs a fresh start.

Washington will certainly release him before the start of the new year, which is March 9. He’ll be gone and Washington will still have to deal with Cousins, who seems to be angling for top quarterback money. At this point, it seems inevitable that the Redskins will simply have to tag him on a one-year deal, which will reportedly run the team around $20 million.

That’s a lot of money for a guy who has had one good season, but it’s far less than the amount of guaranteed cash that would come with the long-term deal Cousins is seeking.

This game of cat and mouse is interesting, but ultimately it will likely have no impact on the final result.

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