Summer Series: WHAT IF…RG3 Played It Safe

Robert Griffin III…2nd Overall Pick to the then Washington Redskins, walking off the field in a knee brace after a game

STARTING The 2012 NFL Draft was polarizing. It was the first time, arguably, since the Eli Manning/Philip Rivers draft that two quarterbacks so highly touted were going to be drafted within the first two selections. The first pick was a slam dunk for the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Luck, the quarterback coming out of Stanford, was a can’t miss prospect who resembled Peyton Manning in more ways than one. He was the prototypical quarterback. Had immense pocket presence, had a wonderful blend of arm accuracy combined with elite arm strength. His mobility was what separated him though. No prototypical quarterback had ever had the mobility that Luck had coming out of college. It was something not every draft had when it came to the Quarterback position. However, that’s what made this draft so special. After Andrew Luck, the rising superstar out of Baylor was more of a freak athlete than Luck was. Robert Griffin III was coming off an insane season in which he took home the Heisman trophy. Griffin had what Michael Vick didn’t; speed AND accuracy. He was the first of his kind. A once in a generation athlete who not only had the arm talent, but accuracy to back it up.

The Washington Redskins recognized this and promptly gave away a huge haul to trade up to the number two pick in the draft, ensuring them Griffin in the process. The skins had everything they had hoped for in their selection of Griffin, as he started off fast in the 2012 season. Him and Andrew Luck were going shot for shot week in and week out as they were battling for Rookie of the Year honors. Both quarterbacks took the league by storm and both of their teams were, most importantly, winning. The Colts were winning more, however, but that was expected, as the only reason they received the one number one pick in that draft was due to Peyton Manning’s season ending neck injury, which elevated Jim Sorgi and Curtis Painter to take the reigns for that year. It went exactly how you expected. But the Colts were playing chess that year, putting themselves in pole position for the best prospect since they selected Manning 14 years earlier. But back to Griffin. While Luck and the Colts were winning, Griffin was providing highlight after highlight. His speed made defenders miss at a ridiculous rate. He would break off long runs and then throw a 75 yard touchdown pass, all in the same half of the same game. The Redskins were finally back. Washington had fallen on hard times since their last Super Bowl title in the early 90s, but with Griffin becoming must see TV every week, it seemed like all that hardship was finally in the past.

That December the Redskins were playing meaningful for the first time in about five seasons, but this team it seemed like success that could be sustained. Washington was 6-6 and welcomed a feisty Baltimore Ravens team who would eventually claim the Lombardi Trophy that season. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Joe Flacco, Haloti Ngata. Ah, Haloti Ngata. Three Hall of Fame defenders on that team. But they were walking into the house that Griffin had now claimed. Griffin, going against an elite defense, held his own that. But it was the fourth quarter of that game that would change the fate of the quarterback forever. With less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Redskins trailing by eight points, Griffin took the field to try to lead his team for a tie and force overtime. On a 2nd and 19 play, Griffin took off to run to pick up some much needed yards, but as he ran back across to the middle of the field and started to go down, Ngata came across and tackled him below the knee, sending Griffin down awkwardly. Griffin would end only missing a few plays before he came back in and led the comeback to a big win. He would miss the next week, but came back in Weeks 16 & 17 and lead Washington to an NFC East title and a playoff berth. The problem is, high knee would never be the same and never had the same explosiveness ever again.

It’s truly a sad story. And there is plenty of blame to go around. Some fans blamed Griffin for being reckless. Others blamed Mike Shanahan because they believe he should’ve saved Griffin from himself. Others blamed Dan Snyder for not stepping and “protecting the franchise.” But let’s play the game, shall we? What if, on that fateful day in December, once Griffin got hurt, Shanahan decided to do things differently. What if Snyder protected the franchise? What if Griffin played it safe. Let’s see how the story plays out…

After Griffin went down in the 4th quarter of that game, Kirk Cousins came in to replace Griffin. Cousins, a 4th round pick that season out of Michigan State, would admirably drive the Redskins down the field, only to get picked off in the endzone on a 2nd and 7 from the Ravens 17-yard line by Ed Reed. A typical rookie mistake, Cousins stared down his receiver while Reed anticipated the throw from the snap. Washington would go onto lose 28-20, and after the game, Shanahan, Snyder and Griffin would all meet in the medical room to discuss what came next for the quarterback. Ultimately after falling to 6-7, Shanahan felt it wasn’t worth it to risk further injury to Griffin, and while Griffin wanted to gut it out, he understood that the long term health of himself was more important than that one singular season. The Redskins would’ve been fighting an uphill battle come playoff time anyway as the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers were all clearly on another level than Washington. In the postgame presser, Shanahan and Griffin together announced that they would be shutting down RG3 for the rest of the season and give Cousins the keys to see what he could do. Cousins would surprise some people as Washington would go on to defeat both the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles convincingly the next two weeks, but fell short in Week 18 as they lost to the Dallas Cowboys, and thus eliminating them from the playoffs. The loss to Dallas dropped Washington from 2nd to 3rd in the standings, with the New York Giants winning the NFC East and attempting to defend their title.

With the season now over, Griffin went hard at rehab. The LCL sprain he suffered in that Week 14 defeat was high risk re-injury, so sitting out the rest of the season really benefitted him during the off-season. Washington was in need of some offensive firepower. Santana Moss was entering his age 33 season while Pierre Garcon underwhelmed in first season with the skins. The Redskin brass met with Griffin to discuss what he thought the offense needed in order to take the next step. “Attitude” was the answer that Griffin would always say. Washington explored every opportunity that off-season leading up to the NFL Draft. They entertained bringing in Mike Wallace (who ended up going to Miami) and Wes Welker, who ended up following Peyton Manning to Denver. Shanahan did also receive some phone calls on Kirk Cousins, as his play towards the end of the year was inspiring to some. Snyder, however, vetoed any trade of Cousins as he wanted insurance incase Griffin would suffer a setback. Washington ultimately decided that they would turn their attention to the draft to grab the next weapon.

By trading up for RG3 the season prior, the Redskins didn’t have a first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, so players such as Tavon Austin and DeAndre Hopkins were unavailable to them. However, Washington did have a second round pick at number 51. The front office debated between picking players such as Zach Ertz, Montee Ball, Eddie Lacy and LeVeon Bell. But Griffin had told Shanahan they needed attitude, so when Washington’s pick came up at 51, both Lacy and Ball were available. Bruce Allen, the GM of the time, ruled out Ball almost immediately, as he was friendly with Nick Saban. But there was one particular player that Shanahan thought displayed attitude like his quarterback was preaching. He had a little bit of a history in his college days, but he was productive. The coach ran the pick by his quarterback, who immediately endorsed the selection. So with the 51st pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins selected Tight End Travis Kelce out of Cincinnati.

Kelce fit like a glove in the Washington offense, as he displayed impressive route running and sure hands. The beginning of the 2013 season saw RG3 return to the field as they opened up against the Philadelphia Eagles that season. Griffin would come back to a roar of the crowd and the tune of 256 passing yards with one touchdown while racking up 83 yard on the ground and two scores. Rookie Travis Kelce had over 100 yards receiving on the day, but the day was not one without any consequences. Running Back Alfred Morris suffered a season ending ACL tear, which would go on to really limit Washington the rest of the season. The 2013 season was an up and down one for Washington as they finished 8-8, missing the playoffs for a 6th consecutive season. Griffin actually ended up missing three more games that season due to plantar fasciitis, and once again, Kirk Cousins came in and performed admirably, going 2-1 in his three starts.

After the season, Snyder was unhappy with the progress of his team, so Mike Shanahan was fired, causing a ripple effect throughout the organization. Mike’s son and offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, also walked away while Jim Haslett was fired as well. The Redskins casted a wide net of candidates to come in, and many lined up due to the fact that they wanted to work with a young, athletic quarterback like Griffin and a young budding star in Kelce. After about three weeks of searching, Griffin walked into Snyder’s office and gave his stamp of approval to someone who had not been “let go” yet, but had interviewed for the job. It was a risky since the coach was so young. Snyder didn’t care, and neither did Allen for that matter as he knew his job security was attached to his quarterback. So, to the shock of many, the Redskins hired in-house coach Sean McVay as their new head coach. The move made waves throughout the NFL, with many people ripping Washington for hiring a “child” to coach people who were older than he was. McVay doubled down though, as he made 31 year Mike McDaniel his offensive co-ordinator while promoting Raheem Morris to defensive co-ordinator. Washington had their guy, and they were ready to go to work. McVay brought in wide receiver Hakeem Nicks to be a big target for Griffin, while the team let go of long time veteran Santana Moss. McVay also pulled the trigger on something Dan Snyder didn’t do the off-season before. Both McVay and McDaniel thought it would clear their quarterbacks mind if they gave him full confidence, so the pair worked with Bruce Allen and traded backup quarterback Kirk Cousins two days before free agency to the New York Jets for a third round and fourth round pick. One of those picks went to defense, but the earlier of the two was used on Devonta Freeman, a running back who was built like a monster truck. Over the course of two seasons, the Redskins revamped their offense.

The 2014 season was a dream for the Washington faithful. The Redskins would earn the number three seed in the NFC after winning the NFC East at 11-5. Griffin finished third in MVP voting, throwing for 3,500 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for 887 yards and 8 scores. Travis Kelce earned his first pro bowl season with over 1,000 yards receiving and double digit touchdowns. Sean McVay won coach of the year unanimously. In the playoffs, the Redskins faced the Seattle Seahawks, who were two years removed from their Super Bowl title run. Griffin and the Redskins would beat them in a nailbiter, 17-16 as the Seahawks defense proved troublesome for the McVay offense. In the quarterfinal, Washington would have to travel to Arizona to take on a revitalized Cardinals team where Carson Palmer had found a home with the birds. This game wound up being an offensive slugfest that the Redskins got the final punch, defeating Arizona 44-38. Griffin became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 350 yards and run for over 150 in a playoff game. The new wave of the NFL was officially here.

In the NFC Championship, Griffin met the mirror of himself in Carolina as Cam Newton, the MVP that season led a 15-1 Panthers team to the brink of their second Super Bowl appearance. While the new guard was happening in the NFC, the AFC stayed consistent as Brady and Manning met yet again in the title game, with Manning winning this time. In a game that went back and forth, the Panthers ended up being just a little too much for Griffin and the Redskins as Carolina pulled away late to win 34-24. While the Redskins had a bitter end to the season, RG3 and the Redskins had arrived. The next few years were good ones for Griffin and company; from 2015-2020 Washington won 4 NFC East titles and reached the NFC title game twice. However, they lost both times. After the 2020 season, Griffin was set to turn 31 years old, and while he was still producing, his legs weren’t what they used to be. The Redskins had a conundrum on their hands as to what to do with their star quarterback. Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski had become two of the greatest tight ends in the game, but Washington had no reason to hold on to Kelce if they weren’t going to hold onto Griffin. The night of the 2021 NFL Draft, Washington received a phone call from one of Griffin’s former coaches, who now was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers - Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers had lost a Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs two years prior, but had a top three pick in the draft that season due to some shrewd trade manuevering year prior. Jimmy Garappolo was gone, and the Niners were in the market for a quarterback. But Shanahan called Dan Snyder personally and asked him what the price tag was on RG3. Snyder would eventually counter by saying he could have both Griffin and Kelce for the number three overall pick. Kyle Shanahan already had George Kittle in the mix over in San Francisco, but the prospect of having both Kittle and Kelce was too much to pass up, so the 49ers struck a deal with the Redskins hours before the draft, sending Griffin to San Francisco with Kelce.

Sean McVay was furious that he had not been discussed on the trade, and refused to be involved in making the draft pick that night. Bruce Allen and Snyder ended up picking Justin Fields with the third overall pick, and a week later Sean McVay was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. As Washington hit the reset button, Shanahan and Griffin got to work, revamping RG3’s game with his age. Griffin would sign a 4 year contract with the 49ers, likely his last in the NFL. Shanahan and Griffin found success with each other, reaching the playoffs every year they were together. In 2023 it culminated with a Super Bowl appearance for Griffin and the 49ers where they would take on the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs had won their first Super Bowl with the Mahomes/Reid era two years earlier, but they were back in the saddle with this game. Mahomes had an array of weapons, but most of all Tyreek Hill, who had re-signed with the team after the 22 season. Griffin couldn’t believe he finally made the biggest game of his life, really soaking in everything. As for the Super Bowl, Griffin and the 49ers performed admirably, but they ultimately came up short as the Chiefs were just too much to handle. Griffin and his squad had lost the big game 26-18.

After the season, Travis Kelce moved on to the Chiefs on a 5 year deal, and afterwards San Francisco was booted in the wild card round two years in a row. After 2024, Griffin’s contract ran out and he knew his time in the NFL was rearing its end. He tried to hang on a little bit afterwards, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a 1 year, 5 million dollar contract. He was set to be the backup for Baker Mayfield, but actually played two games due to appendicitis to Mayfield. The Bucs went 0-2 in those games, and it was pretty clear Griffin just didn’t have the same passion he did years prior. Robert Griffin III retired after the 2024 season, playing 13 seasons in the NFL. Griffin wouldn’t make the Hall of Fame, and he knew that. There were skeptics that put the notion he was a “regular season” quarterback on his name, but that wasn’t true. Griffin was a gamer. He, along with Michael Vick years earlier, ushered in the new age of what the quarterback position would be. Griffin had many good years in the NFL. Although he never won an MVP, he did win the OPOY in 2014 and retired with the second most rushing yards on any quarterback in the history of the league. Was he worthy of the number two pick? Hard to tell. Andrew Luck retired abruptly after the 2019 season and never made a Super Bowl. Griffin had, although not with the Redskins (now Commanders). But what do we want in a first round draft pick? A top five pick? We want that player to keep our team in the mix and successful for years. We want that player to perform well and play in important games. We want that player to keep our franchise relevant. In that regard, Robert Griffin III was absolutely, undoubtedly, a success story. 1ST