In 2012, Robert Griffin III cost the Redskins three first-round draft picks and a second-round selection. In 2016, RG3 can’t fetch a seventh-rounder.
The star’s meteoric fall out of favor in Washington is just about complete, as the team busily tries to trade the quarterback for anything it can.
With Griffin’s $16.155 million salary for next season — which he has said he would consider lowering for the right situation and team — and with the Redskins sure to release him if a deal can’t be reached, there’s little incentive for a Griffin suitor to strike a trade with Washington. Still, the Redskins are working the phones, according to Pro Football Talk, looking for any iota of a return on the Baylor great for whom they mortgaged the franchise.
Last week, team president Bruce Allen told a San Diego radio station that “we’ve heard from some teams that are interested.” But a deal would only be reached if a contract restructure already was arranged to the team’s liking, so that team could get him at its price without allowing Griffin to test the free-agent waters.
So it still seems likely that the 26-year-old, whose electric play once captivated not only Washington but the entire league, will be let go by March 9, when his contract would be guaranteed.
The free fall for the No. 2-overall pick began in 2012, at the conclusion of his thrilling rookie season. He led the woebegone franchise to a 10-6 record and NFC East title, storming the league with an accurate arm — he threw 20 touchdowns to five interceptions — and legs that made linebackers afraid to slack too far back in coverage, gaining 815 yards and seven rushing touchdowns that season.
But in a Week 14 matchup with the hated Ravens, defensive end Haloti Ngata’s hit to Griffin caused his right knee to twist. He hobbled, playing one-legged, for several plays before being benched (for the first time) for Kirk Cousins.
Griffin missed one game, but upon his return he still looked shaky. In a wild-card loss to the Seahawks, a limping Griffin kept trotting under center, with then-coach Mike Shanahan’s blessing. He chased after an errant snap in the fourth quarter and that right knee buckled, and with it his tenure in Washington.
In 2013, Griffin was a shell of himself for 13 games, until Shanahan called in Cousins for the final three games, the Redskins already long out of the playoff race. The next season would follow a similar template, with a Week 2 dislocated ankle adding to the quarterback’s troubles. And 2015 he didn’t see a snap, Cousins taking the reins and after a hesitant start, never letting go.
Now it’s time for the Redskins to let go of the athletic wonder they once believed a savior, whether another team bites or not.