According to NFL Media, the Redskins will release Robert Griffin III at the end of the season after being unable to trade him. Once he hits the free-agent market, Griffin will have plenty of suitors.
The Texans, Eagles and Cowboys are reportedly interested in Griffin, who was praised this year by the Redskins coaching staff for how he handled his demotion behind Kirk Cousins but would cherish a fresh start with a new team.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also said Saints coach Sean Payton has some interest in Griffin, either having Griffin in New Orleans or “wherever Payton lands.”
Robert Griffin is a Texas native and was the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner at Baylor in Waco, some three hours up the Interstate from Houston. With a built-in fan base in the area, the quarterback-starved Texans would make the most sense. Likewise, the Cowboys aren’t far from where RGIII made his name and struggled mightily this season after starting quarterback Tony Romo went down with a broken collarbone.
Putting a mobile Robert Griffin Texans in Chip Kelly’s Eagles offense could be interesting, and Griffin could conceivably compete with Sam Bradford for the starting job. In Dallas or New Orleans, Griffin would likely be a backup to Romo or Drew Brees, respectively.
It’s no secret Griffin wants to be a starter, and Houston gives him the best opportunity to do so because the Texans don’t have an established starter.
It sounds weird and probably way out of left field, but you really have to take a good, long look at this. For starters, consider the fact that Washington may be the dumbest team alive in the NFL. Griffin had tremendous potential to work with, and everyone saw it. But the rub with him was that he needed to be developed. Let me repeat that again: he needed to be developed. Washington treated him like a plug-and-play starter and threw him out there expecting magic. What they should have done is come up with a sensible plan to bring him along, and then stick to the plan. They never did, Griffin struggled, and they smacked themselves silly trying to figure out why.
Oh yeah, they shouldn’t have thrown him out there with a bum knee, either.
Meanwhile, let’s look at the Texans. Brian Hoyer is about as exciting as watching paint dry. He’s clearly a placeholder, a body that is there to give the team enough time to find a long-term answer. Houston is only three short hours away from Baylor University, where Griffin is still revered as a god. And, by virtue of the fact that they’re not in Washington, if nothing else, the coaching staff will be the smartest Griffin’s been around in his career.
The Texans want to make a big draft trade for a quarterback? Great, because Griffin doesn’t get in the way. The Texans get lucky and they hit on a quarterback later in the draft? Go ahead and roll with him, because Griffin’s not expensive enough to bench.
Houston can give Griffin everything he needs: a friendlier atmosphere, a more sensible coaching staff, and no pressure to perform quickly thanks to Hoyer. There, Griffin could take a deep breath and just learn. Who knows, perhaps a change of scenery is just what Griffin needs. Whoever gives that to him could find themselves benefiting richly, and right now there’s no finer place than Houston.