Are the Redskins prepared to move on from Robert Griffin III?
It’s been almost 72 hours since the last weird Robert Griffin III saga, so it’s about time we had a fresh one.
You’ll remember the Washington Redskins announced Griffin was cleared of concussion symptoms on Thursday to play in this weekend’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, and then not cleared upon further review “by neuropsychologists” on Friday. Just another 24 hours in the life of the Redskins.
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Cut to Sunday, when ESPN’s Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter together, with help from Chris Mortensen, cited team and league sources who suggested owner Daniel Snyder is resisting pressure from both coach Jay Gruden’s staff and front-office officials to either trade or cut the former No. 2 overall pick.
Except, in a matter of hours, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio refuted the ESPN report, citing three sources who claim Snyder, Gruden and new general manager Scot McCloughan all remain on the same page regarding Griffin. One of Florio’s sources even went so far as to dub the ESPN report “spaghetti journalism.”
In fact, a two-hour meeting between Snyder and McCloughan about the concussion weirdness may have been the impetus for the reported rift between ownership and football operations, according to Florio. All of which makes the latest on Griffin so very Redskins. What Florio’s story does not refute, however, is that Washington may be prepared to cut ties with RGIII when NFL teams pare rosters down to 53 on Saturday.
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According to ESPN, the Redskins engaged multiple teams in trade talks about Griffin to no avail. The concussion further complicates matters. If RGIII is injured during the regular season, he must be cleared to play before being cut in order to avoid guaranteeing his $16.15 million salary in 2016, per The Washinton Post. Given his injury history, that’s a risky play for teams who would otherwise be interested in his services.
Meanwhile, the Redskins put together their most complete preseason performance on Saturday, sans Griffin, as quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy combined to complete 30-of-39 pass attempts for 285 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-13 win over the Ravens. In two previous preseason appearances, Griffin was 6-of-13 for 44 yards and zero scores, further lending credence to questions about his future in Washington.
