Wherever he ends up, Robert Griffin III isn’t going to be playing for the Washington Redskins next season. He’s not going to be a backup even. His time with the organization is over. It’s either going to be cutting him but it seems there is a market for him allowing a trade, with the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans looking like the more likely landing spots.
The thing about Griffin, who didn’t take a single snap in 2015 while Kirk Cousins, recently franchise tagged by the Redskins, who was also drafted in 2012 with Griffin, took over the quarterback role for good, is that he might even be considered a starter by some. He’s only 26, and while he has shown a lot of problems adjusting to the pocket passer role with his speed and quickness not what they were when he entered the league due to injuries, which means plenty of time for him to develop into the franchise quarterback teams are looking for so badly.
The Rams are kinda stuck with Nick Foles after a very disappointing season for him, and might try and trade him to someone who still thinks he can be a starting quarterback due to his cap hit and the costly release if he’s cut. Griffin and the Rams are always connected. The Redskins gave up a lot in order to take that second overall pick from the Rams and draft Griffin. Now, moving to Los Angeles and with a big need in the quarterback position, at least just for the competition, the Rams might get him back for almost nothing.
The Browns are pretty much a clean slate going into the 2016 NFL Season. Josh McCown is gone, and Johnny Manziel has played his last snap for the team. It’s hard to believe they won’t draft a quarterback, but Hue Jackson has said a time or two he likes rookies sitting and learning from veterans. They’re going to need more than just Carson Wentz or Jared Goff, and could put Griffin in the picture in order to make things more interesting in training camp, or keep the seat warm and who knows, maybe even surprise and take over the role.
The same can be said for the Texans, who made the playoffs last season thanks to Brandon Weeden of all players, but then saw Brian Hoyer destroy a game all by himself. Griffin might not be a whole lot of an upgrade, but he’s something new, and under the right guidance might become good and useful again. The thin free agency quarterback market means he could end up starting for a team in 2016, despite not playing at all last season.