Robert Griffin III is allegedly an ESPN football commentator and Wave Sports podcast host, but sometimes it can feel more like he’s turning those gigs into an NFL backup quarterback job fair.
After throwing his name out to replace Zach Wilson in New York earlier this month, Griffin this week refused to deny his desire to play quarterback again in the NFL in multiple interviews promoting his podcast.
“It’s been no secret,” Griffin told The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz this week. “There’s a lot of players that are afraid to say they want to play. When they’re done, they’re afraid to say they want to play. I’m not afraid to say that. I love the game of football.”
https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1709917005506126013
Griffin then let Dan Patrick know that, as recently as August, an NFL team contacted him about joining their QB room. He refused to reveal the team.
“The bottom line is I want to play still,” Griffin told Patrick. “If the right opportunity came along, I would certainly entertain it.”
Griffin last played in 2020 with the Baltimore Ravens.
Last year, he told Rich Eisen that teams contacted him after he ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at a charity event. He also reportedly discussed joining the ownership group that bought the Washington Commanders.
Griffin went on a long, winding monologue on Get Up! in September after Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles’ tendon in which he suggested his fame was the only thing holding him back from rejoining the NFL.
The situation is both funny and genuine.
Griffin is right to say that his admission of wanting to get back on the football field is refreshingly honest compared with most retired NFL stars. And it makes sense that he would join the media in order to stay close to the game.
But he can’t have it both ways.
Griffin wants to champion Wilson and other quarterbacks while also, low-key, trying to take their jobs.
He is adding to his media resume month after month but also admits he could jump ship at any time. There’s nothing fully unique about Griffin’s situation. But he can’t help but speak about it publicly and earn a bunch of rightful clowning among sports fans.
Three years after his last NFL snap, it would be a surprise if Griffin came back to the playing field. As he said, if the right situation materialized, he would take it. That probably means the offers have been paltry.
We can all feel for Griffin as he confronts retirement while also having a chuckle at his inability to actually confront it on a very public stage.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.