Robert Griffin III’s time in Washington has unofficially come to an end.
The polarizing quarterback, who was demoted to third string for this entire Redskins season, emptied out his locker Monday, leaving nothing behind but an “empowering” note.
According to ESPN, the letter is “The Paradoxical Commandments” by Dr. Kent M. Keith, and Griffin put it on his locker earlier in the season. The work was inspired by a Mother Teresa poem.
Griffin, who turns 26 next month, is widely expected to be traded or released before March 9, when the Redskins would have to pay him the $16.2 million option they picked up for 2016.
The commandments preach some tough lessons that the first-round draft pick learned the hard way during his tenure with the Redskins. Griffin was forced to eat a massive slice of humble pie after head coach Jay Gruden chastised his play-making abilities, and had to put on a happy face all season long as former backup Kirk Cousins led the team to an NFC East title.
“Robert’s done some great things, no question. We have total faith in all three of them,” Gruden told reporters. “We just feel like Kirk has earned the right to be the starting quarterback in 2015.”
Drafted as Washington’s franchise quarterback in 2012, Griffin propelled the team to an NFC East title and was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. But Griffin tore his ACL during the Redskins’ wild-card loss to the Seahawks and has not been the same player since the team rushed him back to the field for the start of the 2013 season.
With the Redskins reportedly mulling contract negotiations with Cousins as the future of the franchise, despite Sunday’s first-round playoff loss to the Packers, Griffin most likely will spend his offseason looking to secure a spot on another quarterback-deficient roster.