Ron Rivera: I told Dwayne Haskins it benefits both parties to go our separate ways

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Washington coach Ron Rivera decided after Sunday’s ugly loss that keeping Dwayne Haskins around any longer wasn’t doing anyone any good.

And so, Rivera said in a statement the team released on Monday, Rivera decided to cut Haskins.

“This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him,” Rivera said in the statement. “I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.”

It’s a stunning fall from grace for a quarterback who was selected with the 15th overall pick in the NFL draft less than two years ago. It’s rare for a first-round draft pick to get jettisoned this fast, but then again it’s rare for a first-round draft pick to play as poorly as Haskins has, while also showing off the field that he doesn’t understand what’s expected of a franchise quarterback.

Haskins will now be available to the other 31 teams on waivers, but it seems unlikely that anyone will pick him up, given that his new team would be on the hook for the remaining two guaranteed years of his contract. If Haskins passes through waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.