Undrafted Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason has signed with the Washington Redskins and should participate in training camp, Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald reported Sunday.
Washington signed QB Hutson Mason from UGA as free agent after going to rookie camp on tryout basis, per his agent. Confirms @RadiNabulsi.
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) May 17, 2015
The Redskins invited 35 undrafted and unsigned rookies to fill out the roster for the team’s three-day rookie minicamp, including Mason.
The Washington Post called the players “the longest of long shots for suiting up for the regular season.” Mason remains a very unlikely roster candidate — Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy also are on the roster. But it gives him a chance to compete, potentially for a practice squad spot as a developmental project.
The news comes just days after Connor Halliday abruptly retired from the NFL. Also undrafted out of Washington State, Halliday threw for a school-record 11,304 yards under coach Mike Leach, but left the team suddenly.
“I can’t speak for the decision that he made,” coach Jay Gruden told reporters on Saturday. “He just chose to jump on a plane and head to the house. I haven’t had a chance to talk with him yet. He just left me a voice message, but I’m sure he had personal reasons behind it.”
Mason set a school record for completion percentage (67.9) while starting all 13 games for Georgia last season. He served as a backup to Aaron Murray, a fifth-round pick in 2014, for most of his career.
At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Mason hopes to parlay accuracy and intelligence into an NFL job within a timing-oriented offense, as his arm isn’t as strong as most pro quarterbacks.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
