Should the Philadelphia Eagles Have Interest in RGIII in 2015?

The drama between the Washington Redskins and quarterback Robert Griffin III has reached the point of no return. According to a report on CBS Sports, multiple sources within the Washington Redskins' organization believe it's a foregone conclusion Griffin will not return to the team in 2015. 

It's hard to believe how low RGIII has fallen. The Redskins swapped first-round picks and gave up two additional first-round picks with the St. Louis Rams to move from the sixth to the second pick during the 2012 draft. RGIII's first year was a dream come true for fans in the nation's capital, as he produced 27 total touchdowns and was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

But a torn ACL in the Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks continued to affect RGIII during the 2013 season. He led the Redskins to just three wins in 13 starts before he was deactivated for the season's final three games. 

His problems continued in 2014, as RGIII suffered a dislocated ankle and lost all three starts before he was benched for journeyman Colt McCoy. His problems in the locker room date back to last year, everything from asking coaches to not show his negative plays on film to calling out his teammates for their poor play. 

At this point, RGIII has become a disaster in Washington. He's lost the locker room. He's no longer effective as a runner and he's regressed as a passer to the point of needing Quarterbacking 101, per Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports. He's won three of his last 14 starts. He really doesn't do anything above average. 

Year	Y/A	TD-INT	Passer Rating	Rushing	Record
2012	8.1	20-5	102.4	120-815-7	9-6
2013	7.0	16-12	82.2	86-489-0	3-10
2014	7.3	2-3	85.7	22-100-0	0-4

It remains to be seen whether the Redskins trade or release RGIII (my prediction is a trade for a fourth-round pick) but it would be foolish for any team to acquire RGIII without at least giving him competition for the starting job. 

Among the teams likely in the market for a starting quarterback are the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, New York Jets, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans. Each of those teams is in the rebuilding phase, either with a new or soon-to-be-new head coach. 

So where do the Eagles fit into all of this? 

They're in an unusual situation. They're a franchise clearly trending in the right direction, winning 19 of 28 regular season games under renowned offensive genius Chip Kelly. Yet they're nearing the end of the second year of the Kelly era, and there's no clear-cut answer for the team's long-term quarterback. 

Let's recap the last two (one and three-fourths) seasons. Mike Vick and Nick Foles competed for the starting job during training camp in 2013. Vick won, played OK for a quarter of a season and got hurt, opening the door for Foles. After some early struggles and a concussion, Foles turned in one of the most efficient passing seasons in league history, throwing for 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He led the Eagles to the NFC East championship. 

The unquestioned starter heading into 2014, Foles regressed from his record-setting year, as expected. But he played poorly enough that reports surfaced about a potential benching before a broken clavicle opened the door for veteran backup Mark Sanchez. The jury's still out on whether the former USC star has successfully revived his career, but through four starts he's played well. Most importantly, the Eagles have won three of four starts, keeping pace for a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Kelly has won games with Foles and Sanchez and neither is considered to be particularly special at the quarterback position. Even when Foles was setting records in 2013, there was a sense that Kelly's brilliant offensive mind, an All-Pro running back and arguably the league's best offensive line deserved even more credit for the Eagles' offensive success than the quarterback.

With four games left in the 2014 season, it's still unclear who will be the Eagles' quarterback in 2015.

Mark Sanchez is playing well but he's on a one-year deal and he needs to show more before the Eagles commit to him as the long-term option. Nick Foles is under contract for one more season (at just $795,880, per Eagles Cap). And don't rule out the Eagles using a first- or second-round pick on a quarterback. If Kelly likes a player when it's the Eagles' turn to pick, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger, as he dd with Matt Barkley in the fourth round in 2013.

So with Foles as the only potential starter under contract for the 2015 season, does it make sense to acquire Robert Griffin III?

It actually might. RGIII is scheduled to earn just $3.2 million, per Spotrac, in 2015 before he hits free agency. He'll be 25 years old this offseason. And just two years ago he turned in one of the most impressive rookie seasons by any quarterback in history. 

The talent is there, or used to be there. Does RGIII just need a change of scenery to return to form?

There are three possibilities for what the Eagles would do with RGIII if they acquired him this offseason. 

1) They could hand him the starting job without competition, meaning Foles would be the backup. 

2) They could let him compete with Foles for the job during training camp and the preseason. 

3) They could announce he is the backup to Foles (or Sanchez, if they bring him back). 

If the Eagles did acquire RGIII, they'd either let him compete for the starting job with Foles (or Sanchez) or they would name him the backup.

It's a low-risk, high-reward scenario. What's the worst that could happen if the Eagles did acquire RGIII? 

He'd be on a one-year deal. A backup quarterback making just over $3 million is not too excessive. If RGIII flamed out, the Eagles could part ways with him right after the season. And if he played well, they could thank him for his services and allow him to enter free agency, as expected, or they could choose to sign him to a long-term deal as their starting quarterback. 

Kelly has won games with Foles and Sanchez. There's no denying RGIII has more natural upside than either of those two players. That's got to be tempting to an offensive-minded head coach in need of a quarterback. 

Now realistically, it's unlikely RGIII will join the Eagles. There are a number of teams that will be interested in the former Rookie of the Year and RGIII's history as a poor teammate could be enough to scare the Eagles away, if they even have any interest in the first place.

Personally, I wouldn't trade a pick for RGIII but I'd consider signing him as a free agent, only if he's released, with an opportunity to compete for the starting job. Then again, it'll likely depend on what happens with Sanchez and/or Foles over the next few weeks. 

Just don't rule it out. Coaches love trying to revive a player's career. Jim Harbaugh did it with Alex Smith. Bruce Arians did it with Carson Palmer. Kelly is trying to do it with Sanchez right now. 

And next year, some team will attempt to do it with Robert Griffin III.