RG3 5th year option picked up

Just announced on Twitter (showing up elsewhere as well)

Quote:

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@MarkMaske

Redskins announce they will exercise 5th-year option in the contract of QB Robert Griffin III for the 2016 season, worth $16.155 million.

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Not sure what to make of this, initial reaction is that they don't seem to want to admit their mistake. I would think they could've extended him for a year much more cheaply than $16M, and waited until halfway through the coming season to do so. There's a risk he plays like a house on fire and they have to pay him $20M, but you think that's a risk worth taking.

The risk they are worried about is not $20 mil. Its FA.

To get there with competing offers, he doesn't need to be great this year. This gives them cost certainty and another year to find out of he's going to succeed.

Yes, but couldn't the negotiate with him during the season if it's going well? If year 4 is more like 2 and 3 than 1, they've got their own Bradford-like situation, which you have to think the Rams were pretty happy to see go away!

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Originally Posted by Guiness

Yes, but couldn't the negotiate with him during the season if it's going well? If year 4 is more like 2 and 3 than 1, they've got their own Bradford-like situation, which you have to think the Rams were pretty happy to see go away!

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The more games that pass, the less injury risk is a force for reaching an agreement. Then you are relying on the player wishing to remain. If you are Cobb or Nelson it works to come back for slightly less.

And Griffin might want to stay given his close relationship with Danny. But his current coach is trying to fit a round QB into a square hole. And Shanahan rode him until he broke. Washington is a huge mixed bag of good and bad as a franchise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guiness

Yes, but couldn't the negotiate with him during the season if it's going well? If year 4 is more like 2 and 3 than 1, they've got their own Bradford-like situation, which you have to think the Rams were pretty happy to see go away!

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Ok, I see my mistake. I knew the 5th year was initially only guaranteed for injury and later changed to a full guarantee (injury skill and cap). I thought that change occurred at the start of the 4th year (i.e. if he player made it out of camp) but now I see it only vests at the beginning of the following league year. The team can cut the player with no repercussions, not even remaining bonus money, between the end of the season and the start of the league year in March.

Yes, less team risk that way. I have read some think the announcement was a head fake to distract from their interest in Mariota.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pbmax

The more games that pass, the less injury risk is a force for reaching an agreement. Then you are relying on the player wishing to remain. If you are Cobb or Nelson it works to come back for slightly less.

And Griffin might want to stay given his close relationship with Danny. But his current coach is trying to fit a round QB into a square hole. And Shanahan rode him until he broke. Washington sucks as a franchise.

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Fixed.