Best team for Robert Griffin III in 2015

In a city built on evasion and empty phrases, Jay Gruden's Wednesday news conference was built on bluntness and brass tacks.

After he announced the benching of his former franchise quarterback, the Washington Redskins' head coach was asked about the future of Robert Griffin III.

"As a man and a competitor, I think Robert does have a future in the NFL," Gruden said, "but I'm not going to predict it."

Ouch. A "future in the NFL" sounds like something spoken to undrafted long snappers on cut day.

It's hard to find any other interpretation than this: Griffin looks like D.C.'s latest lame duck.

As stark as that is for Griffin and his fans, it gets starker: it's hard to figure out where he fits in the league. Griffin is incredibly talented, and plenty of teams desperately need an incredibly talented quarterback, but how many make sense as a trade partner with the Redskins?

Griffin brings risk. His play this season has been unsightly, he makes poor reads, his footwork is off, he doesn't seem to know when to run and when to throw, and he takes way too many sacks.

The off-field intrigue falls under the dreaded "distraction" umbrella, with backbiting comments flowing from unnamed teammates as if out of a spigot.

His health is a perpetual concern. Did he fully recover from his leg injuries of two seasons ago? And what about his ankle dislocation this season? Even if the answer to those questions is yes, athletes who have multiple ACL tears over a career can be more prone to further tears. Griffin isn't that large anyway, and some of the hits he took as recently as last Sunday's loss to San Francisco left him slow to get back to his feet.

That leads to the whole question of whether a quarterback like Griffin can succeed in the NFL over the long-term. Very few mobile quarterbacks have had long and successful careers. It seems every year the Super Bowl champion is led by a pocket passer, with Russell Wilson being a rare exception.

The overarching question is this: if Griffin is a quarterback of someone's future, who wants to risk it on him?

Going through the list of teams in need reveals some possibilities. The New York Jets will likely need a quarterback, as Mike Vick is close to the end of his career and Geno Smith hasn't worked out. The Jets have a tendency to bring in big-name players (hello, Tim Tebow), and Griffin would certainly steal a few back-page headlines from the New York Giants. The problem is it's completely unclear who will be calling the shots in New York. Both head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik have struggled so much that it's hard to imagine either one coming back. So it would take a leader who is willing to take the heat that will surely come with a trade for Griffin. If you're a few weeks into a new job, do you want that added pressure? Wouldn't it be simpler to draft someone like Marcus Mariota?

Then there are fellow bottom-dwelling teams that can afford to take a chance, whether because of their record or their void at quarterback (or both). These include Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Buffalo and Houston. The issue with those teams is they all have head coaches early in their tenures who lack experience with mobile passers. Lovie Smith brought in Josh McCown; Ken Whisenhunt has gone to Zach Mettenberger; Doug Marrone tapped Kyle Orton over E.J. Manuel, and Bill O'Brien passed on Johnny Manziel, drafted Tom Savage, and acquired Ryan Mallett. These coaches aren't offensive trailblazers.

Then there's Oakland, a team that's basically the recycle bin of trade rumors. But the Raiders actually have a promising rookie quarterback in Derek Carr. Why bring in Griffin and create upheaval where it's not needed? Same thing in Jacksonville with Blake Bortles.

Unfortunately for Washington fans, the stick-it-to-owner-Dan-Snyder options are promising. St. Louis, which traded the right to pick Griffin in what's looking like one of the more lopsided draft deals in history, may need a quarterback. Sam Bradford hasn't remained healthy and Austin Davis may not be a long-term answer. The Rams have a highly respected coach in Jeff Fisher who has brought stability wherever he's gone. If he asks for patience with a passer, he'll likely get it – especially in a smaller market. The added bonus is that Griffin would be house money: any deal the Rams make for him would mean giving away far less than they got for him the first time.

Want an even more dramatic destination? How about Philadelphia? If Chip Kelly took a chance on Mark Sanchez, imagine what he'd do with Griffin. The Heisman winner seems ideal for Kelly's Oregon-style offense, especially considering how his running backs spread the field (at least before LeSean McCoy started driving fantasy owners crazy with his suddenly meager performances). And of course anyone in Philly would love to see Griffin demolish his former team. Griffin probably would too, if it ever came to that. The problem, obviously, is imagining the Washington owner opening himself up to that kind of humiliation. That problem holds for the Cowboys as well, despite Jerry Jones' stated affection for Griffin.

It's clear that it would take an offensive wizard with a strong reputation (and perhaps a strong ego) to trade for Griffin. That leads to two more possibilities: Arizona, which has Bruce Arians and might need a quarterback given Carson Palmer's injury, and … Sean Payton. The Saints have Drew Brees, but they also have a dome-field advantage that would certainly fit Griffin nicely. Griffin could learn from both Payton and Brees, with an eye toward mastering a playbook over the course of a couple of years.

What's the best option? Well, there is another place Griffin might succeed, and it might make the most sense for everyone involved:

Washington.

Wednesday's benching could be exactly what Griffin requires to move forward in the city he's in. He needs to learn a still-new offense, he needs to calm down in the pocket, he may need to heal further from his injuries, and he needs to earn back the trust of his coach and teammates. All of that can be done as a backup. And all of that can be done as Colt McCoy's backup.

It seems crazy in retrospect, but it wasn't that long ago that McCoy was desperate to grab onto a roster spot in Washington. After the fourth preseason game in Tampa in August, McCoy stood outside the Redskins' locker room and explained how much he wanted to stay on with the team because Gruden's offense was so tailor-made to quarterbacks like himself and Griffin. And although the comparison seems silly at first glance, McCoy and Griffin are somewhat similar: good throwers with smaller frames who can run. McCoy's early success in Washington – he's 1-0 as a starter with a win in relief – is a sign that Griffin can succeed there as well. He just needs to earn the chance, or re-earn the chance. That will require the kind of do-anything reputation that McCoy has shown during his early career. Nobody is as popular as the backup quarterback, and Griffin could use some of that popularity right now.

"I'm hoping, as a pro, I'm hoping it helps him," Gruden told reporters Wednesday. "I hope it helps toughen him up, it helps fuel a fire in his belly. I hope he comes out here and prepares as if he's going to play, because he has to. He's a backup quarterback, and that's what quarterbacks do. He's not happy about the change, nor should he be. And I don't want him to be happy about it. I want him to come out here and work harder and prepare harder and when his time comes again he's ready to roll."

The Redskins have until May to pick up Griffin's fifth-year option. That would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 million, which is a lot for an unproven (and maybe disliked) quarterback. However, Washington could try to negotiate a new deal with Griffin, as he's under contract through next season. That possibility should not be discounted, especially if Griffin gives signs he wants to stay.

Everything in Griffin's NFL career has happened too soon: He was a star too soon, he came back from injury too soon and he was given the keys to the franchise too soon.

It might be too soon to give up on his career in Washington.