Robert Griffin III still knows his why and wants to help the Houston Texans, if only they woul
His agent’s phone may not be buzzing much these days, but Robert Griffin III has not given up on having an NFL career. In fact, there’s one team in particular he thinks he could help.
The Houston Texans no sooner found their quarterback in Deshaun Watson than they lost him to a season-ending knee injury, opening the door for, well, Tom Savage. The Texans are now 3-6 after losing three in a row, including two since Watson’s injury, but Coach Bill O’Brien is sticking with Savage, even though RGIII is offering his services.
“Deshaun’s an incredible player with a really bright future,” Griffin told the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain this week. “I feel like I could help him after my experiences with Washington and Cleveland. I feel like I could help the team. I know a lot of their guys. I think I can do a lot of things they’ve been doing offensively. Texas is home, and I’ve always got a soft spot in my heart for Texas.”
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Although his NFL career seems distant now, Griffin, 27, was with the Cleveland Browns until March after starting out with the Washington Redskins. He continues to be ready for a call that hasn’t come, even in an NFL season in which starting quarterbacks have gotten injured and plenty of lesser-knowns are being signed. He brings less scrutiny than Colin Kaepernick, who remains a free agent, too, but he also hasn’t had the NFL success that Kaepernick has had.
RGIII’s Instagram feed remains peppered with the kinds of phrases that drew attention in Washington, things like “#nopressurenodiamonds” and “#knowyourwhy,” but his profile has been decidedly lower as he works out in South Florida.
“I’ve been low key on purpose,” he said. “The point was to keep my head in the books and to focus on getting better. In 2015, when I was inactive the entire [season] in Washington, I was able to show growth and maturity. I’ve learned a lot from what happened in Washington. That experience helped me 100 percent.”
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It also was one that was difficult to turn loose. Griffin may want badly to be a starter, but his most likely spot is at backup, a position that requires diplomacy and an ability get along. His comments earlier this fall about his relationship with former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, relayed by former teammate Santana Moss, didn’t endear him to teams. “That doesn’t help him,” a former NFL front office executive told The Post’s Mark Maske shortly after the season began.
That’s a lot to overcome, especially for a quarterback who struggled to adapt to the NFL game after his stellar rookie season ended in injury. NFL teams aren’t that tolerant and the Los Angeles Chargers took a pass after giving RGIII a workout over the summer. Look no further than the list of 41 quarterbacks not named Kaepernick or Griffin who have been signed since Kaepernick became a free agent.
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