Robert Griffin III to Falcons? Former Heisman QB Likes 'Great Situation' in Atlanta
Robert Griffin III, affectionally referred to as RGIII, has spent the last two seasons as an analyst for ESPN.
Griffin played eight seasons in the NFL for three teams, including Washington, Cleveland, and Baltimore. After being named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and being selected to the Pro Bowl, Griffin dealt with injuries that shortened his time in Washington, relegating him to backup duty for most of the rest of his career.
Griffin did get another starting opportunity in Cleveland in 2016 and went 1-4 over five games, and was in Baltimore the next season.
As part of his analyst work, he participated in the 2022 edition of the "Run Rich Run" charity event that benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, hosted by Rich Eisen of NFL Network. For this year's run, Eisen enlisted the help of numerous NFL legends including Cris Carter, Michael Vick, Rod Woodson, Robert Griffin III, and Eric Metcalf to be partnered with some of the country's most celebrated entrepreneurs, and run the 40-yard dash to raise awareness and support for the charity.
Griffin ran a surprisingly swift 4.48 during the event.
That was apparently enough to gather interest from some NFL teams, as he said on the "Rich Eisen Show" on Tuesday.
"I’ve been reached out to from a plethora of teams," Griffin said. "Going back home to Texas with the Dallas Cowboys, I know a lot of Washington fans don’t want to hear that, but that would be a great situation for me. The Atlanta Falcons being there with (Marcus) Mariota and (Desmond) Ridder would be a great situation for me. Going to Chicago with Justin Fields to try to help as much as I possibly can in that quarterback room would also be a great situation.
“I’m happy with what I’m doing (at ESPN), but if an opportunity did arise, I do know that they understand that I still have that desire to play and I would go do it.”
Griffin is just 32 and was more than a serviceable backup for the Ravens for three seasons through 2020.
After years of stability at the quarterback position with Matt Ryan, Atlanta enters a new era. The Falcons hope Mariota or Ridder, or some combination of the two can sustain some success in 2022.
Ultimately, Griffin being able to run fast doesn't mean he can be an effective starting or backup quarterback in the NFL, but the fact that he received calls says something. Atlanta and a few other teams could do a lot worse than Griffin in a supporting role.
