NFL Rumors: Robert Griffin III Says Jaguars Tried To Acquire Him Twice Last Year
Last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished with a disappointing 5-11 win-loss record, despite starting off more than decently with a 3-1 record over their first four games. For most of the year, former third overall draft pick Blake Bortles struggled to find his form at quarterback and even found himself briefly replaced in the starting lineup by former Cleveland Browns backup Cody Kessler. With these issues in mind, the Jaguars reportedly considered trading for Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Robert Griffin III last year, in hopes of shaking things up at the quarterback position.
According to USA Today’s Jags Wire, it was Griffin himself who recently claimed that Jacksonville had previously inquired about his availability. The 29-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner made these remarks on the Ravens’ official team podcast, The Lounge Podcast, where he recalled that there were two times last year when the Jaguars were planning to acquire him via trade.
“Jacksonville tried to trade for me at the end of the preseason and right before the trade deadline, so we knew that was an opportunity and there’d be a chance if things didn’t work out with Nick Foles,” Griffin said, further hinting that the Jaguars might have still considered him as a potential acquisition prior to the start of the new league year last month.
Per Jags Wire, Griffin’s comments about the Jaguars’ apparent interest in him line up with the fact that he worked out with Jacksonville in April 2018, shortly before he signed with the Ravens. Despite spending most of last season as a third-stringer in Baltimore, Griffin signed a new two-year contract with the team last month and is now expected to continue backing up incoming second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.
#Jaguars tried to trade for Robert Griffin III last year… twice! https://t.co/c0JTri5yAI pic.twitter.com/9P8uHb6bgr
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) April 4, 2019
Looking back on what transpired for the Jaguars last season, Jags Wire wrote that the team might have thought of trading for Griffin due to Bortles’ “sporadic” play in the 2018 preseason and concerns that Kessler might not be good enough as a prospective second-stringer. The site further speculated that Bortles might have still ended up as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback even if they had successfully traded for Griffin, due to his “familiarity” with head coach Doug Marrone’s system.
As recalled by Bleacher Report, Robert Griffin III was previously considered a superstar in the making after the Washington Redskins picked him No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Griffin helped the Redskins win the NFC East title, picking up the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award as he threw 20 touchdown passes and scored an additional seven touchdowns on the ground. His once-promising career, however, was slowed down by injuries, as he ultimately lost his starting job to 2012 fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins during the 2014 NFL season.
