Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III should be let go or traded if there is no chance Kirk Cousins will be pulled as the starter, according to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports.
Redskins' head coach Jay Gruden said that Cousins will remain the starter after losing to the New York Giants 31-21. "No. No. Kirk is fine, we just have to play better around him," said Gruden via nfl.com. "There is no quarterback controversy."
Cousins was 30 for 49 throwing for 316 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. While the Redskins didn't help him much on the ground with only 88 rushing yards, the fact that Cousins is in no jeopardy of losing his spot likely makes other players question Gruden and his coaching methods.
At this point, the Redskins front office is adamant about protecting their depth at the quarterback position. Griffin is expected to still be on the team past the Nov. 3 trade deadline, according to Jason La Canfora of cbssports.com.
"Scot (McCloughan) does not want to trade him," said a source close to the situation. "That's not something he is even thinking about. He's still getting to learn about him and what he can do and what he's all about. This kid was the 2012 Rookie of the Year for a reason and you don't just fall into that stuff. He's not giving up hope."
While general manager McCloughan is not giving up hope, he is giving up money. Griffin is scheduled to make $16 million next season, and with lack of play and poor play, he is unlikely to be acquired through trade, especially given the amount he is due next season.
Griffin is not even listed as the backup right now, as Colt McCoy is listed as the second string quarterback on their depth chart. With this much money on the table, and no chance of Griffin playing soon, it makes sense for them to cut ties.
Griffin exploded onto the scene his rookie season, but since then he has thrown 20 touchdowns to 16 interceptions and has fumbled 11 times in two seasons. If Cousins continues to play poorly and there is no change coming in the future, it only makes sense for both the Redskins organization and Griffin to go separate ways.
