Why in the world would Redskins pick up RG3’s option? Let’s explore
We admit we saw this report from NFL Network’s Albert Breer on Robert Griffin III and thought … really?
Franchise tag — for a player the head coach, Jay Gruden, appears to want no part of? I thought franchise tags were for franchise players?
Well, let’s unpack this story one piece at a time, shall we?
One thing I’ve learned since April 26, 2012 — the day RGIII became a Redskin — is that anything Griffin-related should be directly linked to owner Daniel Snyder. Yes, they’re buddies, and yes, they’re tied at the hip — financially and otherwise — because Snyder paid a king’s ransom to mnove up and get his prized QB and isn’t ready to give up on his toy that gave him and his team such joy three seasons ago.
Gruden has a fully guaranteed contract, so he’s not going anywhere without a huge buyout. RGIII might be back, too, even if the two don’t work all that well together because, darn it, Snyder thinks it should work. He hired Gruden for his game and his name and believes the man knows football. Snyder has seen Griffin do magical things and believes it’s far too soon to give up on him. So how could this pairing not work?
Money never has been an impediment for the owner. Snyder will pay for mistakes to go away, and he’ll pay to cover up and keep mistakes, if for no other reason than for ego and stubbornness. If he’s willing to give up personnel control to his general manager, Scot McCloughan, then Snyder is going to do his best to exert his control in one way: by picking up a fifth-year option that would cost him $16.1 million.
Back to that franchise tag analogy — Snyder is willing to talk himself into the move by saying to himself, If a franchise QB is worth about $20 million, then RGIII is most certainly worth $4 mil less! That’s how that works.
This is where the Snyder-McCloughan-Gruden dynamic will be fascinating to watch. What if RGIII fails and Gruden wants to bench him? As the head coach, he surely has that right (doesn’t he?). How will that affect his standing with the front office and, most importantly, with the owner? Might Gruden want to force his way out if he feels Snyder is going to jam a QB down his throat that he does’t want?
If Griffin returns to form, the deal would be praised up and down. But right now, it looks like a gamble — one with a lot of tenticles attached.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
