Jeff George, Tim Couch, Ryan Leaf. That is the company Robert Griffin III does not want to join. It is way too early to slap the “bust” tag on the 25-year-old, but this needs to be the year where the former Baylor quarterback takes a major step in his career.

It feels like a million years ago when the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback was selected second overall in the 2012 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. Some may have forgotten the blockbuster deal that took place on draft day when the Redskins traded four high-value draft picks over three years to the St. Louis Rams.

Washington traded their first-round picks in 2012 (No. 6 overall), 2013 (No. 22 overall), and 2014 (No. 2 overall), as well as their second-round pick (No. 39 overall) in 2012. In 2012, the picks from Washington and the resulting moves produced Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead and Rokevious Watkins.

The very next season the Rams selected former Vanderbilt running back, Zac Stacy. At the time, it looked like a good deal between both teams. Washington had talent on both sides of the ball and had a veteran coach in Mike Shanahan who helped NFL Hall of Famer, John Elway, reach the Super Bowl in Denver.

The only factor holding Washington back from competing in the NFC East was a quarterback. The Redskins were willing to mortgage their future for what they believed was going to be a franchise quarterback. In the Midwest, St. Louis found itself sitting in the second spot of the draft and was fielding offers.

Believing they already had their man at the quarterback position with Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, St Louis General Manager Les Snead had aspirations of a Dallas-Minnesota Herschel Walker type of deal where one team gets the hot commodity and in return the other team gets a plethora of solid talent. At the time, both national and local pundits deemed this deal a “win-win” for both teams.

Hindsight is 20/20, so as I look back on this deal objectively and unbiased I see St. Louis as the clear-cut winner when it comes to this draft day trade. As the season continues, Washington has no idea what Robert Griffin III will give them. His successful rookie campaign was soon forgotten after a leg injury that sidelined him for the majority of the 2013 season and poor play sidelined the young quarterback for most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

In St. Louis, the Rams drafted five players from the deal they made with Washington, and only two names stand out. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins headlines the shortlist of players who have been productive for the Rams, but the corner has had the “reckless” title for making as many big mistakes as he makes big plays.

Also, contract negations have been a troubling distraction for the fourth-year corner as the Rams have been unable to lock him down to a long-term deal. 2015 may just be Jenkins last in St. Louis. The other name that stands out is Zac Stacy, out of Vanderbilt. Stacy may be a hot commodity in the fantasy football world, but in the grand scheme of the NFL today he is just another running back that could be replaced in a Nano second.

The reality of the situation is that when both of these teams made this deal in 2012, they were bottom of the barrel teams, and fast forward four years later both teams have tasted minimal success and both futures don’t look bright. St. Louis can take solace in winning the deal, but the Rams don’t seem any closer to the promise land, Washington.