Kirk Cousins has reportedly been named the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins in their Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins.
According to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com, the Redskins coaching staff informed the players on Monday morning that the team will begin the season with Cousins under center. Robert Griffin III is still recovering from a concussion he suffered during a preseason game earlier this month, though it is unclear if he would have been benched anyway.
With Griffin out in Washington’s third preseason game on Saturday, Cousins completed 20 of 27 passes for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 31-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
To make matters even more awkward, guess who appears on the ticket for Washington’s first game of the season?
RGIII is on the game ticket (1st regular season game vs Dolphins) that he won't be starting in (H/T @dmeslar2) pic.twitter.com/DYkHiZth4h
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 31, 2015
A report from over the weekend indicated that Jay Gruden wants to trade or release Griffin, but ownership won’t allow it. A more recent report claims that Redskins owner Dan Snyder would not block an RG3 trade and is allowing Gruden to choose his own starting quarterback.
The Redskins can’t release RG3 while he’s injured, and they may not want to play him to prevent further injury. If Griffin suffered an injury that somehow extended into the 2016 offseason, his $16.1 million salary for next season would become fully guaranteed.
