It was not long ago that the respective futures of Robert Griffin III and Jay Gruden in Washington were in doubt. After one strong game against the Eagles on Saturday night, that no longer seems to be the case. Following a last-minute, 27-24 victory over their playoff-hopeful division rivals, Washington’s head coach and quarterback are set to return for 2015.
As Jason Reid of the Washington Post wrote just hours after the team’s victory, “Jay Gruden and Robert Griffin III are expected to return next season.” Reid went on to note that Washington’s reliance on the on the run game and DeSean Jackson allowed Griffin to be more comfortable in the pocket than he has been all season, which could have created a blueprint for the team’s success moving forward.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds that there was never any real doubt among the Washington administration that Griffin would be back, as the team continues to hope that he can be the franchise quarterback it once anticipated. So, as Florio writes, “the only remaining question is whether they pick up his eight-figure option for 2016 by May 3. If the goal is to support him, they either need to exercise the option or extend his contract.”
Now for some more noes from the league’s east divisions:
- In the wake of the Eagles‘ embarrassing loss to Washington, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the team needs a quarterback, and while Mark Sanchez has clearly demonstrated he is not the answer, McLane believes that Nick Foles is not the long-term solution either. Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com agrees with that assessment.
- Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that the Giants should bring back Jason Pierre-Paul and Antrel Rolle after their strong late-season performances.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that the Dolphins‘ performance against Minnesota this afternoon is a life-or-death matter for head coach Joe Philbin.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the quarterback-desperate Jets, unless they have a foolproof plan to trade up for Marcus Mariota or strongly believe in Jameis Winston, should consider making a deal for embattled Bears signal-caller Jay Cutler. As Cimini writes, a long-time personnel executive who has extensive knowledge of Cutler has said, “I’d rather deal with [Cutler’s] issues than deal with a guy with no talent.”