Washington Faces A Tough Decision Regarding Robert Griffin III

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Washington will have a pretty big decision to make regarding QB Robert Griffin III next year.

RGIII will be entering the final year of his rookie contract, but because he was selected in the first round, they will have the opportunity to pick up his fifth-year option.

However, since RGIII was the No. 2 overall pick, the Redskins would need to pay him the equivalent of the 2015 transition tag. Florio mentions that this figure is likely to come out to around $18.4 million.

Given his struggles the past two years and the fact that he’s dealt with some serious injuries, it’s hard to imagine Washington paying him that kind of salary. It’s worth mentioning that fifth-year options are only guaranteed for injury and would not prevent the team from negotiating a long-term contract that would reduce this figure to something more cap friendly.

When you consider what Washington gave up to acquire the No. 2 overall pick from the Rams, — three first-round picks and a second-round select — it would be really tough to allow him to reach free agency once his rookie contract is up. However, RGIII has come nowhere near living up to bounty Washington paid for the right to draft him.

Griffin, 24, is currently in the third year of his four-year, $21,119,098 rookie contract and has a base salary of $3,269,877 for the 2015 season.

This season, Griffin has appeared in just four games and thrown for 763 yards while completing 72 percent of his passes to go along with touchdowns and three interceptions.

This will definitely be a fascinating situation to watch during the offseason.