Browns Sign QB Robert Griffin III To A Two-Year, $15M Deal

Update:

Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports that the Browns have signed QB Robert Griffin III. ot a two-year deal worth $15 million.

• Garafolo adds that the contract includes a $3.5 million signing bonus and $6.75 million in total guarantees.
• The agreement includes $7 million in incentives, which means it could make out at $22 million, according to Garafolo.

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The Cleveland Browns have officially announced the signing Robert Griffin III. Here are some statements from RGIII, HC Hue Jackson and executive Sashi Brown regarding the move:

Robert Griffin III

“I’m excited about the opportunity to join the Dawg Pound and help build something here in Cleveland,” Griffin said. “Coach Hue and Pep, I had a great meeting with them. I really believe in what they preach and how they can help not only me as a player but this team win games and that’s what we’re all about.

“I’m just excited to come in and compete. Nothing’s ever been given to me in my life, so I just want to go out and compete with the guys and grow with this team. I feel like that’s all I’m really focused on.”

“(The experience in Washington) helped me become a better person and a better player and showed me how much I love the game of football,” Griffin III said. “I cherish the opportunity to get another chance to play this beautiful game.”

Sashi Brown

“We are excited to add Robert to our team,” said Brown. “Robert possesses a unique skill set at the quarterback position. He has played at a high level in this league and is intent on doing everything in his power to return to that level on a consistent basis. After meeting with him, having him work out for us and doing our diligent research, we felt it was right to grant him an opportunity with our organization. We were able to see and feel his passion and commitment to re-establishing himself as a starting quarterback in this league and his embrace of the hard work that will be is essential to his development. We’ve been clear on the importance of improving and stabilizing the quarterback position for our franchise. We have said that the draft is and will be our primary focus, but we will always look to complement the draft through free agency, and this is one of those examples. We look forward to working with Robert and getting him in the building with his teammates at the start of the offseason program on April 4.”

Hue Jackson

“We are excited about Robert joining the Cleveland Browns,” Jackson said. “He brings starting experience to our team and organization. He’s a young, athletic, talented passer and he’s really just starting out in this league. Just like every player on our team, Robert will have to earn every opportunity he gets. He will compete with the rest of the quarterbacks on our roster and he helps improve our QB room, which was one of my goals upon taking the job. It’s a special room and we want to put special people and players in that room.”

“We are looking forward to working with Robert, as well as the rest of the quarterbacks on our roster,” Jackson said. “We have a lot of work to do to prepare to be the best QB room in the NFL and we look forward to the challenge that lies ahead.”

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Browns are expected to reach agreement with former Redskins’ QB Robert Griffin III today.

Numerous reports had said that a deal between the Browns and RGIII could be in place at some point in the near future, so this shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.

Cleveland brought RGIII in a for visit after he met with the Jets and indications were that the Browns were a serious suitor for him.

Given that the Browns were the other team attempting to trade up with the Rams for Griffin back in 2012, it’s interesting that he eventually ended up with them after a disappointing end to his time in Washington.

It’s worth mentioning that signing RGIII to a contract wouldn’t factor into a team’s 2017 compensatory picks.

Griffin, 25, is a former Rookie of the Year and No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The Redskins traded a huge package of draft picks to get him, but he fell out of favor in Washington, which led to the Redskins using him as their No. 3 quarterback in order to prevent an injury that would guarantee his 2016 salary.

Last May, Washington elected to pick up his fifth-year option worth $16.2 million last year, but they made the obvious move and cut him loose before this salary became guaranteed a few weeks ago.

In 2014, Griffin appeared in nine games and threw for 1,694 yards while completing 68.7 percent of his passes to go along with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

We had him featured in our Best Available Free Agents list.