Robert Griffin III says he turned down a contract offer from Cardinals
Dec 13, 2017, 9:04 AM | Updated: 12:21 pm
In 2012, Robert Griffin III was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In 2017, the former Heisman winner has yet to appear on an NFL roster, let alone take a snap.
But that doesn’t mean he’s done with football. In fact, Griffin revealed Tuesday on ESPN that he turned down offers from two teams — the Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals — before the season.
“I had interest in the offseason, it just wasn’t the right fit,” Griffin told Michael Smith and Jemele Hill on SC 6. “And I had to make that decision for myself. Look, if I don’t accept this offer, there’s a chance I won’t play football this year.”
Griffin wasn’t definitive on when the offer from the Cardinals came in, but he did indicate it was after they signed free agent Blaine Gabbert, who inked a one-year deal May 10.
The 27-year-old then offered an explanation on why Arizona wasn’t the right situation.
“In Arizona, the reason it wasn’t a good fit was because Carson (Palmer) was there,” he said. “I was willing to come in and work behind an experienced veteran quarterback who’s done a lot of great things. They had the backup in Stanton and they had also brought in Blaine Gabbert.
“Nobody lets four quarterbacks get practice time. That was the issue. It wasn’t the coach. The coach is a great coach. He’s a quarterback whisperer and I wanted to go there and learn from him. And it’s a stable franchise so that was all great. It just wasn’t the right decision for me and I had to make that decision and try to make the smart, educated decision.”
Griffin says he’s ready to go now if any contending team needs a quarterback.
In four seasons with Washington and Cleveland, Griffin has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 8,983 yards and 42 touchdowns against 26 interceptions. He has also shown the ability to make plays with his legs. In his rookie season, Griffin ran for 815 yards and seven touchdowns for the Redskins.
