Although Robert Griffin III‘s long-term outlook in Washington is very much in doubt, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the team has no intention of moving him in 2015, and that he may even move up to No. 2 on the depth chart in the coming weeks. Although there have been reports of animosity between Griffin and current starter Kirk Cousins, and although Griffin’s comments and actions on social media have drawn negative attention, La Canfora says the team is actually operating without internal strife for the first time in a long time.
Indeed, Cousins has gone out of his way to avoid tension with Griffin, and Griffin has been a willing cheerleader on the sidelines, has handled scout team duties gracefully, and has otherwise handled his demotion as well as anyone could have expected. As such, GM Scot McCloughan has not made a single call to another club to gauge interest in Griffin, and he reportedly has no plans to do so. Of course, no team has called Washington either, which makes sense given that Griffin’s $16MM salary for 2016 is guaranteed for injury. Griffin, for his part, has not requested a trade or a release.
Washington believes it has a legitimate shot to win the NFC East, which is as wide open as any division in the league. As such, the team does not want to sacrifice its quarterback depth. Griffin, for all his injury problems, still has some upside as a starting signal-caller, and Cousins is far from a sure thing under center. If Griffin’s career has proven anything, it is that no one can predict what will happen in the NFL from one week to the next, and Washington wants to be prepared for any obstacle in its path to the playoffs. For now, that means that Griffin is staying put, and that he will remain in burgundy and gold for the duration of the 2015 season. What happens beyond that is anyone’s guess.
When he takes out his dread locks then he might get a job