Time for the Redskins to move on from Robert Griffin

It was not that long ago when Robert Griffin III was thought to be the savior for the Washington Redskins.

The team had been something of a mess since Joe Gibbs retired for the first time following the 1992 season. Daniel Snyder then bought the team in 1999, ushering in a period of bad football that is yet to be curtailed. Griffin, drafted with the second-overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, was supposed to change everything.

His rookie year, Griffin looked the part of a franchise quarterback, throwing for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 815 yards and seven scores. He was the best politician in D.C., a smooth-talker in front of the cameras and making plays on Sunday. The Redskins rose to an NFC East crown that season on the back of a 7-game winning streak to end the regular season. In the playoffs, Washington took a 14-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks. Then everything fell apart, including Griffin’s right knee. Torn ACL.

Since that moment, Griffin has never been the same. The franchise moved on from Mike Shanahan at the end of the 2013 season, replacing him with Jay Gruden. Gruden has never been on the same page with Griffin, finally benching him in favor of Colt McCoy. Everybody knows McCoy is not the long-term answer, so the panic flag was fired up to the top of the pole.

After his second benching in as many years, Griffin will soon have a one-way ticket out of Washington. Despite a pair of disappointing and injury-plagued seasons, the Heisman Trophy winner will command a nice haul for the Redskins, who gave up three first-round picks and a second-round selection to acquire him. It is clearly time for Washington to rebuild once again, something fans in the nation’s capital are too familiar with.

So, where does Griffin go next? There are plenty of teams who will want him, but what is the best fit? The Redskins will not trade within the division, and when you look at the rest of the NFC, only the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers make sense. Wouldn’t that be something if the Rams acquired him after receiving a boatload of picks for his original draft slot?

In the AFC, viable candidates would include the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Considering Buffalo is without a first-round pick, eliminate the Bills. The other three remain solid options, although would they rather draft Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota given the opportunity?

Washington will also be in the mix for a quarterback early in the draft. The Redskins are sitting at 3-8 and likely to lose at least four more games. A 4-12 mark will put them squarely in the top five or six selections, giving the team another shot at getting things right.

The story of Griffin is one that will be told around Washington for a long time. Coming in with so much fanfare, Griffin electrified a fan base for one season before crashing back to Earth. If Griffin goes elsewhere and fades into oblivion, he will become a sad story about potential missed. Should he rebound and become the player everybody expected out of Baylor, it will simply be more egg on the face for a franchise that is used to the feeling.

About Matt Verderame

Matt Verderame, 26, is a New Yorker who went to school at the frozen tundra of SUNY Oswego. After graduating, Verderame has worked for Gannett and SB Nation among other ventures.

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