RG III ...'skins receive no offers,..but that's not surprising ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

 -- Quarterback Robert Griffin III's future with the Washington Redskins remains bleak. It’s easy to see why: He’s no longer starting and he has a big option in his contract for next season.

The question is: Will his future with another team begin today? Barring an unexpected move, that does not appear to be the case.

As reported Sunday, the Redskins had not received any offers for Griffin at that time, according to a source. Remember, some teams (such as Dallas) need a quarterback and never called. It’s hard to imagine that having changed. In fact, one source said the Redskins would not be busy Tuesday with any deals. Of course, anything can change with the right offer -- for Griffin or anyone else. But that was the expectation entering the day.

Here’s why even if the organization wanted to make a move, it’s tough to trade Griffin right now :

The option

When the Redskins picked up the $16.155 million option on Griffin last spring, team president Bruce Allen called it a no-brainer. But that should never have been the case. Griffin’s injury history made it a gamble, as did the fact that the football side of the organization did not believe in him. However, the Redskins wanted to avoid a situation where, if Griffin had improved and played well, they would have to pay him either the franchise tag (around $20 million) or work out a lucrative long-term deal.But once they made the decision to pick up the option, they greatly reduced the number of teams that would be interested in even considering a trade for Griffin. Keep in mind that he can negotiate on the option if he desired. But there has been no indication he’s willing to do so.

Changing systems

It’s hard enough for any quarterback to change teams and run an offense smoothly. But the knock on Griffin here is that he hesitated and struggled to operate in an offense with which he was familiar. The Redskins felt they could not run their full offense with him in charge. That, not a high sack total, is why he’s not playing. They could live with the sacks if they saw other factors and were still making plays.So if he had to play in a new offense, the hesitation would increase -- as would the chances for more hits. Which is where that option comes back into play: More hits means more chances for a quarterback whose durability remains an issue to get hurt. If Griffin can’t pass the season-ending physical, the option kicks in and automatically counts against the 2016 cap. Some have mentioned the Jets as potential suitors, but you have to take into account that their offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey -- one of the league's more creative playcallers -- does not have an offense that can be learned in a short amount of time. In those cases, it's often best to go with a quarterback who knows the system.

Change the offense

Multiple NFL people, from assistant coaches to executives, speculated that any team trading for Griffin might feel they need to change their offense to suit him. Clearly, not every team would be willing to do this, especially if they viewed him more as a backup.If a team really wants Griffin, it has to view him as more of a long-term investment and not as instant relief. So waiting until the offseason makes a lot more sense, assuming the Redskins eventually release him. That way, a team could spend an offseason figuring out what he can or can’t do. And if it needs to tailor a different style to him, it would provide more time to do so.There’s a long way to go in the season and perhaps something can change with Griffin in Washington. The Redskins are committed to Kirk Cousins, who has been inconsistent but is coming off one of his best games. That inconsistency won’t lead to a change anytime soon at the position. Rather, it’s about finding out whether he can be the quarterback beyond this season.

Tim Tebow effect

One NFL coach said over the summer that some teams might not want to land Griffin, during the season at least, because of the potential circus it could create. That’s not even because of anything Griffin might -- or might not -- do. It’s because of the attention heaped on him as a Heisman Trophy winner and 2012 NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year. Just like Tim Tebow, Griffin is a hot-button topic. Griffin has stayed in the background since his benching, having done one three-question interview after the one game in which he was active (vs. the New York Jets). Mostly, he's spent an hour after almost every practice going over plays that had been practiced by Cousins. He's routinely the last player off the field.

It's hard to see Griffin sticking around in Washington after this season. But as of Tuesday morning, it's also hard to see his future starting elsewhere this soon.

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