Andrea Hangst
Washington has a decision to make about quarterback Robert Griffin III’s fifth-year contract option. Mark Maske of The Washington Post reports that Washington will wait until the May 3 deadline to exercise the fifth-year option, indicating that their decision to do so—or to not do so—will hinge on how the 2015 NFL draft plays out.
Griffin, whom Washington packaged a number of draft picks to trade up with the St. Louis Rams in order to select in Round 1 of the 2012 draft, had an excellent rookie season, with 3,200 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns to five interceptions and 815 rushing yards netting him seven additional touchdowns. But a knee injury and disputes between then-head coach Mike Shanahan and team owner Dan Snyder about preferential treatment of Griffin doomed him in his second season.
Griffin had a chance to bounce back in 2014 under new head coach Jay Gruden. Instead, Griffin suffered a dislocated ankle in September and started just seven games. He managed to complete 68.7 percent of his passes, but threw for only 1,694 yards and had four passing touchdowns to six interceptions and just one rushing score.
Washington possesses the fifth-overall pick in the 2015 draft and the potential exists for former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota to fall to them in Round 1. If that’s the case, Washington would not need to exercise Griffin’s fifth-year option. If they chose another quarterback in a later round, that could also give them pause when it comes to Griffin’s option.
The option is worth $16.2 million for the 2016 and is fully guaranteed for injury. With Griffin already experiencing a pair of devastating injuries, that may be too steep a price for Washington to pay. But if they lose out on the chance to select Mariota or another quarterback who they feel could supplant Griffin in a year’s time, they would be better off giving Griffin the fifth-year option so they can maintain some sense of stability at the position.
Though Gruden said at February’s scouting combine that Griffin would indeed be the team’s starter for 2015, that could easily change. It’s clear by waiting until after next week’s draft to make the final decision on Griffin’s future that Washington is prepared for a number of scenarios to play out, including the potential that they find his replacement in Mariota or someone else.
Griffin’s career has played out quite differently than imagined. Griffin has gone from one of the hottest young quarterback prospects, to injured, to quasi-pariah, to a sympathetic figure, to a young man in over his head and back again so often it’s hard to believe this is only his fourth season in the NFL.
But just as quickly as things have changed for Griffin, they could get even more complicated. Clearly, Washington is waiting to see what changes the draft may bring before committing themselves to Griffin through at least 2016.
Photo: USA Today Sports
