Highly unlikely Robert Griffin III will be the Vikings backup in 2021
By Adam Patrick
As the Minnesota Vikings were waiting to make their first selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Washington Football Team decided to use the No. 2 pick on former Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Washington wasn’t done drafting quarterbacks in 2012 though as they went on to also select former Michigan State signal-caller Kirk Cousins in the fourth round.
Since then, Cousins has enjoyed a successful NFL career while Griffin has struggled to live up to the expectations that came with being a top-five draft pick. It certainly hasn’t been the outcome that most envisioned after the 2012 season when Griffin was the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Don’t expect Robert Griffin III to end up with the Minnesota Vikings
After that 2012 campaign, things began to head in the wrong direction for Griffin. His struggles eventually resulted in Cousins taking over as the full-time starter for Washington in 2015.
Since then, Cousins has remained an NFL starting quarterback while Griffin has started a total of seven games in the last six seasons during stints with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. On Monday, Griffin learned that he will need to find a new team for 2021 as the Ravens decided to let him go.
With Sean Mannion hitting free agency this year, the Vikings are in need of a new backup behind Cousins for the 2021 season. Some might think that Griffin could be someone Minnesota considers for the role, but this is something that is extremely unlikely to happen.
During their time in Washington together, Griffin and Cousins reportedly did not have the greatest relationship in the world. In fact, they didn’t really have any sort of a relationship.
Back in 2016, former Washington tight end Chris Cooley shared that Griffin basically wanted nothing to do with Cousins from the second they both became teammates. Cooley mentioned that former Washington signal-caller Rex Grossman used to tell him about the awkwardness that used to exist in the team’s quarterback room due to Griffin and Cousins’ dislike for one another.
Shortly after Cooley made these comments, Cousins came out and said that he and Griffin actually had a “good relationship,” during their time in Washington together.
Believe who you want, but this isn’t a situation that the Vikings should be getting themselves into. Minnesota should still look for a different No. 2 quarterback instead of bringing back Mannion. But in order to avoid any unnecessary drama, Griffin shouldn’t be the guy they sign.