The Washington Redskins are picking up the fifth year contract option on RG3 after naming Robert Griffin III the starter coming into offseason workouts and this comes as the team has been considering a trade for Marcus Mariota along with Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler, Kevin White and Vic Beasley as potential draft targets.
Pro Football Talk reports that Redskins General Manager Scot McCloughan announced that the team is picking up the fifth year option on Griffin. The team had until May 3 to pick up the option and some in the NFL wondered if the team would wait until after the draft to do it. Marcus Mariota has been mentioned as a potential target, but it's looking like the team will not go after the QB in the draft coming up at the end of the week.
Earlier in the offseason, Albert Breer of NFL Media reported that Griffin's contract is likely would be "getting" picked up by Washington and that means the team will pay him $16 million for the last year of his rookie deal. Picking up the option likely means that Griffin will be the starter or get the chance to start over the next two years. No team wants to pay that much to a backup and Griffin has shown enough that he has the chance to bounce back as a starter moving forward.
Griffin's option was in danger of not getting picked up after the way he has played over the past two years, but the Redskins are not ready to give up on him yet. Exercising the option means he stays and gets a chance to start, as teams usually do not want to pay $15 million for a backup. The team of course could consider trading Griffin, but at this point that move does not seem likely. Jay Gruden and Griffin have had their issues, but Griffin named him the number one QB and new GM Scot McCloughan has also praised Griffin this offseason.
According to Pro Football Talk and ESPN.com, the Redskins are interested in a number of different players, including Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler, Kevin White and Vic Beasley. McCloughan has also spoken about the possibility of trading down if the team doesn't like who is left at number five. The team could get back some nice picks and the fifth selection should give the team the chance to draft a solid player if they stay put.
Fowler has been getting attention heading into the draft as the top pass rusher, while Williams is considered to be the top defensive player in the draft. McCloughan said that if Williams falls to number five, there is a chance that the team could make a trade, as they already signed Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea this offseason.
Griffin had an electric rookie season, but since then he has been up and down and has dealt with injuries and mediocre play. Griffin is looking to have a healthy season for the first time since 2012 and the Redskins hope that an improved offensive line can help give him more time to stay in the pocket, which was a major issue last season. Griffin and his option had been a major issue for the Redskins this offseason as the deadline got closer, it looked like the contract would be picked up