The Washington Redskins gave a clear indication on Friday night regarding their position in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.

They are out.

Washington traded three first-round picks (2012, ’13, and ’14 selections) and a 2012 second-rounder to the St. Louis Rams to move up to the second overall pick in April’s draft.

Presumably, the Redskins will take Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Did Washington “give away the future” by cutting this deal?

Yes and no.

Pardon the expression in today’s climate but the Rams collected a bounty of picks from Washington and rightfully so. St. Louis knew Washington and other teams needed the second pick for a quarterback. Why not ratchet up the price?

Whether Washington mortgaged the future remains to be seen. We’ll have to get to the future before we can determine whether Washington actually mortgaged the future.

Redskins Nation, Universe, or Planet should be happy with a move that possibly will give Washington a franchise quarterback that they desperately need.

However, they’ll finally need some good fortune unlike their previous overt attempts to win the off-season.

Now, St. Louis will select sixth in the 2012 NFL Draft.