The Washington Redskins have finally pulled the trigger on releasing a player they thought would become their next franchise quarterback for years to come. Robert Griffin III is no longer a Redskin and will be free to sign with any team of his choosing in the coming weeks. The Redskins seemed ready to move on from RGIII after they benched him for the entire 2015 NFL season basically to ensure that he was healthy and had trade value.
NFL teams were unwilling to barter with Washington for RGIII's services, and they likely realized that he was going to be released anyway. The Redskins traded three first round picks in order to move up and take him in the 2012 NFL Draft. In his career RGIII has completed 679 out of 1,063 passing attempts, has a completion percentage of 63.9 percent, and has thrown for more than 8,000 yards. He has a 40-23 touchdown-to- interception ratio, along with 8 rushing touchdowns.
This is where the numbers don't work in RGIII's favor: he has been sacked more than 100 times in his short career. This has led to multiple injuries, the most famous of which is the reconstruction of the same knee he injured in college. These injuries have limited his ability, forcing him to become more of a pocket passer. RGIII is not used to this and relied heavily on making plays with his feet.
At 26 years old Griffin has a ton of time left to become a productive and valuable member of a franchise, however he must prove that he can stay on the field. There at least 10 teams that are interested in utilizing RGIII's services, and a lot of their decisions will be based on what happens in the coming weeks during free agency.
The Houston Texans are currently looking at bringing over free agent Brock Osweiler, but they could be intrigued in bringing in a cheaper option. The Texans did make the playoffs basically without a quarterback, so a small step up could send them to the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles would love to have a backup that they are interested in behind Sam Bradford. RGIII could potentially compete for the starting job there if he shows no ill effects from spending a whole season on the bench.
RGIII could turn out to be a more affordable option, but more importantly would give the Eagles a quality backup quarterback. Next up would be the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. The Jets might lose Ryan Fitzpatrick if he hits free agency which means they would be scrambling for a replacement so RGIII could play a large role there.
The Broncos will need a quarterback if Osweiler leaves in free agency, and RGIII could be a quarterback with enough upside that Denver general manager John Elway takes a chance on him. For the 49ers Colin Kaepernick does not want to be in San Francisco, and Chip Kelly can easily find his replacement in RGIII or at least a backup that will play in a very similar fashion. The Redskins releasing RGIII might be the best thing for his career in the long run as he will get another shot to lead a franchise.
