

Su’a Cravens will not return to the Redskins for the 2017 season, the team announced Monday. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

Second year safety Su’a Cravens will not return to the Washington Redskins in 2017, if at all.

“Today the Redskins have officially placed Su’a Cravens on the Reserve/Left Squad list,” the statement read. “In accordance with the NFL Constitution and Bylaws, Su’a will not be permitted to return to the club for the remainder of the 2017 NFL season, including the postseason. We sincerely hope that Su’a uses this time away from the club to reflect upon whether or not he’d like to resume his career in the National Football League in 2018.”

The move comes three weeks after Cravens informed team officials and teammates the day after final roster cuts were made that he planned to retire rather than play a second NFL season. At the time, team President Bruce Allen convinced Cravens to delay his decision. The team placed him on the exempt/left squad list, which would have given him 30 days to finalize his decision.

[From earlier this month: Jay Gruden shows compassion for Cravens as Redskins scramble to replace him]

At the time, Cravens’s decision surprised and angered teammates. A second-round pick in 2016, he was expected to start at strong safety after making the move from inside linebacker where he played as a rookie.

Cravens injured his knee in the first preseason game and underwent arthroscopic surgery, but had expressed confidence he would return by Week 1. Privately however, he waffled back-and-forth as to whether he wanted to play football anymore.

Then on Sept. 2, in a group text message with members of the defensive backs unit, Cravens told them he was retiring. The next morning he met with Allen and Coach Jay Gruden to tell them of his decision.

[Chris Thompson’s versatility is a major asset for the Redskins]

Teammates didn’t know the specifics of Cravens’s reasoning. Gruden indicated he had personal matters to attend to. The day after his decision became public, Cravens released a video on Snapchat and explained he had to do what was going to make him happy.

Cravens on Saturday attended his alma mater USC’s game against Texas. Members of the Redskins organization also attended the game because they played the Rams at L.A. Memorial Coliseum the very next day.

Cravens briefly spoke to Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Williams on the sideline. But he didn’t express a desire to return to the team. The NFL Network reported this weekend that Cravens planned to return to the team Tuesday. But two people with knowledge of the situation call that false. The next day, the Redskins announced Cravens definitely would not return.

Cravens faces an unclear future. Although the Redskins in their statement expressed hope he would resume his career in 2018, that is not a certainty.

While on the reserve/left squad list, Cravens will not receive the salary owed to him. He was entering the second year of a four-year deal that paid him roughly $1 million per season.

If Cravens ultimately decides to retire, he will have to repay the team three-fourths of the $1 million signing bonus he signed as a rookie.

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