Confirmed: Robert Griffin III inks deal with Cleveland Browns

There was chatter it was happening and now it's official. The Cleveland Browns have signed QB Robert Griffin III to a deal, the team has announced. It's being reported as a two-year deal, according to ESPN.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to join the Dawg Pound and help build something here in Cleveland," Griffin said in a press release on the Browns website. "Coach Hue and Pep, I had a great meeting with them. I really believe in what they preach and how they can help not only me as a player but this team win games and that's what we're all about.

"I'm just excited to come in and compete. Nothing's ever been given to me in my life, so I just want to go out and compete with the guys and grow with this team. I feel like that's all I'm really focused on."

The Browns play Washington this season so there will be an RGIII reunion with his former team.

"We are excited about Robert joining the Cleveland Browns," Browns coach Hue Jackson said in a statement. "He brings starting experience to our team and organization. He's a young, athletic, talented passer and he's really just starting out in this league. Just like every player on our team, Robert will have to earn every opportunity he gets. He will compete with the rest of the quarterbacks on our roster and he helps improve our QB room, which was one of my goals upon taking the job. It's a special room and we want to put special people and players in that room."

Note that Jackson said RGIII will "compete" with the other quarterbacks.

"We are excited to add Robert to our team," said Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown said in a statement. "Robert possesses a unique skill set at the quarterback position. He has played at a high level in this league and is intent on doing everything in his power to return to that level on a consistent basis.

"After meeting with him, having him work out for us and doing our diligent research, we felt it was right to grant him an opportunity with our organization. We were able to see and feel his passion and commitment to re-establishing himself as a starting quarterback in this league and his embrace of the hard work that will be is essential to his development. We've been clear on the importance of improving and stabilizing the quarterback position for our franchise. We have said that the draft is and will be our primary focus, but we will always look to complement the draft through free agency, and this is one of those examples. We look forward to working with Robert and getting him in the building with his teammates at the start of the offseason program on April 4."

Earlier this week, we ran a poll asking if the Browns should sign RGIII, and also whether fans would still like to see the team draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall if they did. Here are the results of that poll:

80% of fans were in favor of signing RGIII. Of those fans, 58% would still like the Browns to draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall. The addition of RGIII also likely signifies an end to Josh McCown's time in Cleveland. Expect him to be moved for a conditional draft pick at some point.