Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III hasn’t taken a snap in the league since 2020, but he made clear this week that he doesn’t consider himself finished, and he thinks something other than merit is keeping him and several other veterans off rosters.
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Griffin’s frustration was sparked by watching the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback situation implode on Sunday, when backups Cooper Rush and Jack Strand struggled in a lopsided loss to the Carolina Panthers. Rather than staying quiet, Griffin used the moment to question why the league isn’t turning to more experienced arms when a starter goes down.
“When Cooper Rush and Jack Strand are stinking it up in Atlanta, it makes zero sense that QBs like Cam Newton, Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Tannehill, and myself aren’t the veteran presence in the room to stabilize teams when their QB goes down,” Griffin wrote on X. “These guys were playing for Carolina today.”
The Falcons’ quarterback room has genuinely been a mess. Atlanta fell to 0-2 after Sunday’s 34-3 defeat, with Rush managing just 229 passing yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, and a lost fumble across two starts before Strand replaced him and finished 8-of-15 for 59 yards, with an interception and a lost fumble. Both quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa remain sidelined, with reports suggesting one or both could return as soon as next week, but the damage from a winless start was already done by the time Griffin fired off his tweet.
Griffin didn’t stop at naming the problem. When a fan replied directly to his post, writing, “It’s politics as to why Cam Newton, and/or yourself aren’t signed to a roster. People care more about perception than reality,” Griffin responded with a single word: “Agreed.”
Griffin did not elaborate on what he meant by ‘politics,’ but his response indicated that he agreed with the idea that factors beyond a quarterback’s on-field ability can influence those roster decisions. In fact, back in 2017, while unsigned, he told 106.7 The Fan that it “comes down to the teams, ultimately,” suggesting that teams simply weren’t interested in giving him or Colin Kaepernick another chance, even as he continued training and positioning himself as ready.
Griffin isn’t alone in making this case, either. The former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, one of the four names Griffin listed, made a nearly identical argument just days earlier, pointing out that former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers returned to play for the Indianapolis Colts roughly five years after his own retirement, and that the Denver Broncos reportedly reached out to former Saints quarterback Drew Brees about a potential comeback last season.
“Y’all overlook me,” Newton said. “I want to at least say, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ My phone ain’t ring in five years.”
“Somebody gonna put in the comments, ‘Y’all acting like Cam Newton gonna carry the Falcons to the Super Bowl.’ I wasn’t asked to carry a team. (The Colts) didn’t ask Philip Rivers to carry a team. They just said manage it. I mean, damn, I can do better than Cooper Rush. He ain’t even QB2. He’s QB-who? At some point, call it how it is. Y’all really think that low of me that I can’t go out there and ball? Wake up. Wake up.”
Griffin’s own case for still belonging in the conversation traces back to a career that started with enormous promise. Drafted second overall by Washington in 2012 after winning the Heisman Trophy at Baylor in 2011, he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after making the Pro Bowl.
Griffin’s career took a different turn after a series of injuries, most notably the ACL and LCL tears he suffered during Washington’s 2012 playoff loss to Seattle. He later spent time with the Cleveland Browns before joining the Baltimore Ravens, where he worked as a backup to quarterback Lamar Jackson.
At this point, it is unclear whether Griffin, Newton, Garoppolo, or Tannehill will get another opportunity. Griffin, though, clearly still sees a place for experienced quarterbacks when injuries leave teams searching for help.