The Washington Redskins' reported interest in Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has been met with varying degrees of skepticism. Some believe the interest is real and that new general manager Scot McCloughan wants to hand pick his quarterback of the future. Others believe these rumors are just a smokescreen to create leverage in trade scenarios.
"Also, nobody buying #Redskins taking Mariota at 5. Belief is Skins are trying to stimulate a trade ahead of 5, pushing another player down," Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
It's hard to argue with Robinson's sentiments. After all, the Redskins have three quarterbacks under contract for the 2015 season. Although Robert Griffin III has struggled since his impressive rookie season, it still seems a bit too soon to give up on the talented yet embattled QB. Adding another high profile quarterback draft pick to the mix will only exacerbate the perpetually delicate situation in D.C. Redskins fans have had enough of that circus.
But remember, all three of Washington's quarterbacks are entering contract years. Head coach Jay Gruden spent much of last season criticizing RGIII in the media. Coaches don't normally do that to that extent unless they genuinely don't think they can win with that player. McCloughan also inherited RGIII (and Gruden, for that matter) and it's unknown how he feels about him as a player.
It wouldn't be completely out of the question for both Gruden and McCloughan to want to bring in their own guy, one without Griffin's extensive injury history.
"Here's what you should know about the chatter linking Marcus Mariota and the Washington Redskins: There's something to it," Jason Reid of ESPN wrote. "You can't win without a quarterback in a quarterback league, and some Redskins officials will tell you the franchise doesn't have one.
"Although misinformation is much a part of the draft as scouting evaluations and medical reports, the truth is that Mariota potentially could fill a major area of need for the Redskins, who have many. People I trust say new Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan is great at his job. By exploring a possible fit with Mariota, McCloughan would merely be doing his due diligence."
There you have it. Two completely different reports from two well respected sports reporters. Is Washington serious about Mariota or are they just trying to rope a team into trade up? We'll just have to wait until the 2015 NFL draft to find out.
