Word on Monday morning was that the Redskins were likely to pick up the 2016 option on quarterback Robert Griffin III’s option and it moved to a done deal in the middle of the day.
Redskins General Manager Scot McCloughan announced that the team is exercising their option on Griffin’s pick ahead of the May 3 deadline to do so. The move puts Griffin in position to earn just over $16 million in 2016, which the Redskins can rescind if Griffin is healthy but the option is guaranteed against injury.
That’s not a small concern for a player who has dealt with serious injuries in his three-year NFL career, although Griffin insisted this month that the option question wasn’t a big concern for him. Instead, Griffin said that he’s focused on improving his performance after two rough seasons.
“It’s not about talking about it; It’s about being about it,” Griffin said. “That’s what my goal is this entire offseason. You got to talk small, play big, take care of the little things for the big things and everything will fall into place.”
Given the price they paid to acquire Griffin and their willingness to exercise the option, the team surely hopes that everything does fall into place. Despite that, McCloughan said Monday that the decision doesn’t change the team’s draft strategy and that they’d still pick a quarterback with the fifth pick if that’s the best available player.