National Football League

WFT Releases Embattled Haskins

Updated Dec. 28, 2020 4:48 p.m. ET

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins, once thought to be the quarterback of the future in the nation's capital, was released by the Washington Football Team on Monday.

Haskins' social media accounts are private, but he released this statement on Twitter, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Washington selected Haskins with the 15th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he started 13 games in two seasons with the franchise, posting a 3-10 record with him as the starter.

And while Haskins showed promise at moments as a rookie, he struggled to find his footing during the 2020 season, both on and off the field.

Haskins completed just 61.4 percent of his passes in seven appearances this season. He threw for 1,439 total yards – 205.6 yards per game – and he tallied five TD passes and seven interceptions before the team announced his release Monday.

In Sunday's start against Carolina, with the NFC East title on the line, Haskins went 14-for-28 passing for 154 and two interceptions, and also lost a fumble, before he was replaced by Taylor Heinicke.

However, most of Haskins' struggles from this season occurred off the field.

Back in October, he violated the team's COVID-19 protocols before a matchup with the New York Giants.

Then, this past week, he was stripped of his captaincy by Washington and fined $40,000 for again violating the league's COVID-19 protocols, after he was photographed without a mask while attending a party for his girlfriend.

According to a report from FOX Sports' Peter Schrager on Sunday, the franchise considered releasing Haskins after the photographs surfaced, prior to the Carolina game.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport expanded on that report Monday, saying the team simply thought Haskins gave it the best chance to win on Sunday.

"Ron Rivera and the offensive staff thought Dwayne Haskins was the best option to win that football game at that time."

But according to one Hall of Famer, FOX Sports' Michael Strahan, the WFT would have been – and is – justified in its decision to release Haskins.

"You work so hard to get to a certain point in your life. You wanted to make it to the NFL. Now, you're in the NFL, and a lot of guys think, 'Oh, I've made it.' No you haven't. You're just in the NFL. And this goes as quickly as it comes your way."