ESPN analyst and former No. 2 pick Robert Griffin III is not lobbying for the Jets quarterback job, as the internet seemed to proclaim Tuesday.
Griffin responded to a clip that went viral on social media from ESPN’s “Get Up” when he appeared to say that the Jets can now go after a player like him and that he won’t be a distraction now that Aaron Rodgers went down with injury.
“Some of these guys like Carson Wentz, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, myself; It’s not that we can’t play anymore, it’s that we’re a big distraction if you bring us in.
“So now that your starter, Aaron Rodgers, is out, you can potentially go get some of these guys,” Griffin says before the video abruptly stops mid-sentence to give way to a slow-motion reaction from his colleagues at ESPN, tuned to the music of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, conveniently leaving out that Griffin went on to explain that Zach Wilson is the Jets’ only hope for success.
When the full clip is released, Griffin ends his remarks by saying, “But I’ll tell you right now, there’s not a guy on the street or anywhere, including myself, that will give the Jets a better chance of winning than Zach Wilson. None of us know the offense, none of us have those relationships in the locker room.
“It’s going to be Zach Wilson or no one this year for the Jets, and they have to accept that.”
The initial edited video was posted by sports broadcaster and radio host Grant Paulsen.
“Granted. Stop chasing influence,” Griffin tweeted. “Do your job and post the whole clip instead of being a weasel. The point is Zach Wilson gives the Jets the best chance to win. Nobody on the street won’t save the Jets.
The Jets have been committed to Wilson as their quarterback since Rodgers’ season-ending injury, but that hasn’t stopped speculation that they could bring in a replacement.
Griffin has not played in the NFL since his stint as the Ravens’ backup quarterback behind Lamar Jackson in 2020.
Notably, former Commanders quarterback Wentz apparently put his name out there with a post on his Instagram Story saying he’s “throwing darts in the woods waiting to throw darts on Sunday.”
New York Post
