Inside Football: Why RG3 is staying put, why Tebow needs to go to Canada

The Washington Redskins can't be in the business of giving away a 25-year-old, second-overall pick quarterback just three years removed from a season of historic proportions.

The front office doesn't have that luxury. Not even close. And anyone who thinks the epic levels of dysfunction in Washington would be solved simply be releasing the only quarterback to show even above-average potential in the past, oh, 15 seasons or so of the franchise, hasn't been paying nearly enough attention to the ongoing debacle in DC. So while there are reports mounting about Robert Griffin III being on his way out of Washington, and that his trade or release was imminent, and the team simply couldn't go on much longer with him on the roster … well, that's not the case at all.

Don't get me wrong: The kid doesn't have much of a future there. If any. But simply giving him away -- no one is trading for that contract with a $16M option for 2016 already guaranteed for injury -- and waiving him isn't going to solve Washington's myriad issues.

It isn't going to make the Redskins more than the four-win team they'll likely be again. It isn't going to add assets for the future. And it sure isn't going to end the ugly cycle of dysfunction that as been the hallmark of Dan Snyder's reign as owner.

What it would do, however, is open up the possibility of yet another crisis and disaster, should someone like oh, Chip Kelly, claim RG3 and use him in the NFC East as his third quarterback to Washington's detriment. Anyone coaching this kid up and fixing him to any degree would just reinforce everything that has stunted Washington's organization growth for going on two decades now. Too much risk. And no reward.

Simply kicking this backup quarterback to the curb for nothing in return -- and parting with someone who isn't that far removed from a Heisman Trophy and a 2012 season for the ages -- isn't going to make anything much better. Keep this in mind -- this is a human being; not a video game character. Wherever RG3 goes, if he continues to tweet stuff and like posts on Instagram, and if he takes shots at his former team on social media, that's going to remain a huge story in Washington.

Any time RG3 throws a touchdown pass or whatever, the guys in the Washington locker room are going to be asked about it. He isn't a ghost. Coach Jay Gruden can't escape him that easily, and the fact is this monster has already been created and empowered, and the aftershocks of this turbulent era don't just get stifled by some release papers.

And, well, this franchise had quite a doozy of a week even after this latest RG3 circus. It's been going on there forever and won't just end with him out of the building. They are going to stink no matter what, and subsidizing some winning program by handing Griffin to a uniquely skilled coaching staff isn't going to put more wins in the standings for Washington.

Again, to return to Kelly -- this guy toyed around with Tim Tebow on his roster for half a year; you don't think he'd have a roster spot earmarked for RG3 if he was available? You don't think he'd want him over Stephen Morris or Christian Ponder?

This is a business and Washington hasn't been savvy in the business of winning football games for quite some time. Aside from three quirky December runs, there haven't been many positive months from this franchise, much less seasons, since Snyder took over in 1999.

You don't break that chain simply by cutting Griffin.

Could he be something of a distraction at times moving forward? Maybe. But given the fact that this franchise has so little invested financially in the quarterback position for 2015 and given the fact that almost no one starts 16 games for this team under center, like, ever -- Jason Campbell in 2008 and 2009 and Brad Johnson in 1999 are the only ones to do it in the Snyder era -- well, do we really think Kirk Cousins will accomplish that behind this line, this year?

And if he doesn't, does it really make sense to get another look at Colt McCoy -- a system guy at best who isn't the answer and won't be the answer and has significant limitations -- or do you serve the franchise better by looking at Griffin? Maybe he plays well. Maybe he shocks people. Maybe, as contending teams lose starting quarterbacks, Griffin becomes willing to alter his future guarantees to facilitate a trade that brings something back.

But short of RG3 suffering an injury that renders him unable to pass a physical in March -- which would trigger his $16M salary for 2016 -- the risks are small. And honestly, for a guy like Snyder who has been paying players and coaches millions just to go away throughout his tenure, would anyone really be shedding tears if he had to do so again? Again, it's not like that money and the cap hit would be what's holding back the 2016 Redskins from being real winners.

What I kept hearing from inside Redskins Park as this drama with Griffin's concussion unfolded was the need to be patient, allow for things to "cool off" and die down and not get caught up in the heat of the moment and all of the knee-jerk reactionary stuff flying around. They needed to take a breath and let things settle down and then see what kind of asset, if any, this kid can be moving forward. I get all of that.

After all the Redskins gave up to trade for Griffin, and after all they've been through together already, this wasn't going to end on a waiver wire in early September. We'll see if it ends in October before the trade deadline or later in the winter or after the season. But it's beyond naïve to think chucking Griffin breaks the pattern of absurdity that defines this franchise, and while the kid himself merits plenty of blame, this was hardly all of his own creation.

What are the Falcons thinking?

I hate to sound like the boogeyman for some quarterback every week in this space, but, man, Matt Ryan needs to keep his head on a swivel. Of all the transactions made before the roster deadline, nothing had me more baffled than the Falcons trading for Titans guard Andy Levitre. Be afraid, Matt Ryan. Be very afraid.

Levitre is one of the biggest free-agent flops in recent history, getting top-of-the-market money from the Titans and playing such poor football that Tennessee would've waived him rather than have to cut another $6.5M in checks to him. Case in point: The Titans have as bad a roster as there is in the league and took a quarterback with the second overall pick who they obviously need to protect … and this cat couldn't get a single snap with the starters. Levitre was a bit part on a bad team. Now the Falcons -- who are NFC South Champs or bust yet again in 2015 -- come along and actually trade for this contract.

Think about that: Rather than just waiting and trying to sign Levitre to a new deal worth millions less, Atlanta actually gave up something to take on this ridiculous deal.

"I really still can't believe it," one exec told me again on Saturday. "They must be beyond desperate."

This exec kept checking the NFL Management Council contract records, in disbelief, for days after the trade thinking he must've missed something. Clearly the Titans agreed to pay the vast majority of the contract. Surely, Levitre agreed to a pay cut or something. Only, nope. There he sits, counting $6.5M in cash and $6.5M against the Falcons cap. Good luck with that. Levitre's tape the past few years has been awful according to anyone I've talked to who bothered to watch, and for all of the skill position talent Ryan has to work with, Atlanta's offensive line might undermine it all.

Go North, Tim Tebow

I think we can all agree that this is it for Tim Tebow, right? If Chip Kelly couldn't be his last, best football patriarch, then no one will. I mean, Josh McDaniels -- who knows offense -- and Bill Belichick -- who knows everything -- have already given up on him. Go to the broadcast booth, Timmy, and enjoy a great 25-year run. You'll be fine.

And we'll see how long it takes before Ponder is in that roster spot with the Eagles, because everything I'm hearing leads me to believe that's what's going to happen with the third quarterback spot there.

Of course, if Tebow does take Kelly's advice and wants to build on his training camp by playing in the CFL, the opportunity exists. Montreal retains his CFL contract rights and it was only about a year ago when team officials met with Tebow in the United States to have significant discussions about joining their team. Tebow was very serious about doing it then, sources said, even having his bags packed for Montreal at one point, before opting for the ESPN job instead.

He'd be welcomed back in Montreal and the timing would be interesting -- the Alouettes happen to be on their bye this week -- and he would be coached by Anthony Calvillo, who just retired as one of the greatest quarterbacks in CFL history and could clearly still relate to a player trying to make the transition to the Canadian game. Anywho, my best guess is that Tebow goes to TV, but if he did want to keep his playing dream alive -- and the booth will always be there for him, let's face facts there -- he could do a lot worse than going to the premier franchise in the CFL.

Surveying contenders and pretenders for 2015

Hope springs eternal in the NFL in September, and, as always, parity is the rule. For me, I'd put the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers in the top tier of clubs. I'd have a second group of teams like the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos as top contenders. My third tier includes recent playoff teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions who could make it interesting.

A fourth tier of teams possibly on the rise who might crack the playoff bubble are the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers (yes, they've already made the postseason regularly recently, but injuries and roster concerns have them dropped to this tier).

And then there's a final tier of teams (usually a good quarter of the league) that frankly have no chance to do anything in the postseason -- the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders (though I do think the Raiders will be quite improved). In an average year there's generally a quarter of the league that's truly primed to compete for a Lombardi Trophy, half the league that at least has a playoff shot, and a quarter of the league that is playing catch-up and will get smacked around by the top 75 percent of the league week in and week out.

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