The RG3 Saga...How Not to be a General Manager.

photo credit:  http://brunchpop.tumblr.com/post/65539819445/meme-monday-the-dan-snyder-new-shoes-photo

Has rock star Owner/GM Dan Snyder ruined his team with silly moves involving RG3? 

    Robert Griffin III has lost his starter's job in Washington, underscoring how miserable it is to have an owner as a General Manager.   First,  Dan Snyder gave up three first round draft picks (including what proved to be the second overall pick in 2014) and a second round pick so that he could draft RG3 in 2012.   Many analysts (including me) question whether any player could be worth so many picks.  In fairness, RG3 was a superstar his rookie year, but after knee surgery he never fully rebounded.   He still has the skill to evolve into a pocket passer, and probably he is unfairly blamed for the lack of performance from an untalented offensive line.  But in the area of intangibles, he seems to have alienated his teammates and the coaching staff, and he always manages to say the wrong thing to the press. 

     In the offseason, GM Snyder inexplicably decided to prematurely award RG3 a fifth year on his contract, making it impossible to trade the guy unless he decides to renegotiate.  The $15 M value of that fifth year means that no sane team will trade for him.  It looks as though the Redskins may have to eat that contract if they decide to get rid of RG3 early.   

    Even more absurd, apparently the guaranteed extension only kicks in if  RG3 is injured.  So that essentially means that they will be afraid to play him, now that they have apparently decided he is not the quarterback of the future because if he plays and gets hurt it will cost the team a huge amount of their 2016 salary cap.  

         So perhaps they have gotten themselves in a situation, financially speaking, where it is best not to play him at all, so they can drop him at the end of 2015 and not get penalized.  Yech.  This must be the dumbest contract of all time.   

     Hence, Dan Snyder's love affair with RG3 has cost his team a second round pick, three number one picks including the 2014 second overall, 15 million bucks for the 2016 salary cap, not to mention losing the confidence of the team and the coaching staff with his blunders.   Brilliant!