Browns Officially Activate QB Robert Griffin III From Injured Reserve, Waive OL Matt McCants

The Cleveland Browns announced that they’ve officially activated QB Robert Griffin III from injured reserve on Friday and waived OL Matt McCants.

The Browns confirmed yesterday that they’ve starting RGIII in Week 14’s game against the Bengals.

Cleveland officially designated RGIII as their player to return off injured reserve a few weeks ago, so this has been the expectation all along.

Griffin suffered a fractured coracoid bone but he was able to avoid surgery and indications have been that he was getting closer to a return.

Griffin, 26, signed a two-year, $15 million contract that includes $6.75 million guaranteed.  He’ll make a base salary of $3.25 million for the 2016 season.

The Browns will face a decision regarding Griffin next March, as he has a $750,000 roster bonus at that point. If the Browns pick up his bonus, RGIII would be paid a $6 million base salary with $750,000 more being available in per-game bonuses.

This season, Griffin has appeared in one game thrown for 190 yards while completing 12 of 26 pass attempts (46.15 percent) to go along with no touchdowns and an interception. He added another 37 yards rushing for the Browns during the game.

McCants, 27, is a former sixth-round pick of the Giants back in 2012. He spent just over a year in New York before he was waived at the start of the 2013 season and later signed by the Raiders to their practice squad.

The Raiders used a low-round restricted tender on McCants several months ago that would have paid him $1,671,000 for the 2016 season. However, McCants agreed to a reduce his salary from $1.671 million to $675,000 at the start of the season.

McCants did, however, receive a $325,000 signing bonus, which brings his 2016 compensation to $1 million.

The Raiders cut McCants loose a few weeks ago and he was later claimed off of waivers by the Browns.

In 2016, McCants has been limited to appearing in just two games for the Raiders.