Robert Griffin III needs to affix the San Francisco 49ers as Trey Lance’s ‘mentor’
Former Pro Bowl quarterback Robert Griffin III has been on the news a lot lately. Now it looks like he wants to join the San Francisco 49ers.
Less than a week after San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance made third choice in the 2021 NFL Draft, RGIII is out here fighting for a job on the team.
“To be honest, I don’t think they have a man on the roster who would be better placed than me to look after the child,” said the 31-year-old Griffin on the Bleacher Report Draft Night Show (h / t TMZ Sports).
Before we get into whether Robert Griffin III is a good match for us, there is a specific background here. As San Francisco rose from the 12th pick to 3rd overall, it became clear that the team was looking for an heir that was obvious to current starter Jimmy Garoppolo. At that point, it made sense that the 49ers would act as the Super Bowl quarterback.
Now that the market has subsided a bit, Jimmy GQ could stay in Northern California. Even so, there are still a lot of moving parts here.
Read more: Takeaways from 2021 NFL Draft
Would Robert Griffin III make sense for the San Francisco 49ers?
November 1, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III (3) looks on before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports
After his ninth season in the NFL and his third year with the Baltimore Ravens, RGIII is nothing more than a backup at this point in his career. This career began swimming in DC with the Washington Football Team. In 2012 he was selected as number 2 in the overall standings and received the “NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year” award.
Unfortunately, injuries mistreated by Washington’s brass at the time have ruined what was once a promising career. RGIII has made a total of 26 starts in the eight seasons since its rookie campaign.
Then Washington’s offensive coordinator, the current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, kicked off his former team to treat Griffin’s injuries. Whether this means Shanahan is ready to give RGIII a chance remains to be seen.
What we do know is that the pre-injury iteration of RGIII is somewhat similar to what we saw on tape from the talented Trey Lance. A double threat with a cannon arm and athleticism at the highest level.
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The future of Jimmy Garoppolo with the San Francisco 49ers
This is another important background for the potential signing of RGIII. At the moment there is no real trading market for Garoppolo. The Denver Broncos traded for Teddy Bridgewater to compete with Drew Lock for the starting job after being linked to San Francisco’s current starter.
The New England Patriots (Mac Jones) and Chicago Bears (Justin Fields) added first-round quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Both were associated with Garoppolo. As of now, the only two teams that could show interest in Garoppolo could be the Houston Texans and the former Washington roster of RGIII in the country’s capital.
All of this comes at a time when some believe Lance may be ready to start Week 1. Shanahan seemed to be indicating that there would be at least one version of a training camp fight between the rookie and Garoppolo. This could cause some important problems in the future.
Meanwhile, San Francisco will pay Garoppolo $ 26.38 million against the cap in 2021. That number could be used for an immediate upgrade as the 49ers try to recover from last season’s disappointing six-win performance and head back to Super Bowl competition.
If the San Francisco 49ers left Garoppolo, they would only have Josh Rosen, Nate Sudfeld and Josh Johnson on the list behind Lance. That is a less than ideal scenario. It also makes RGIII an option in the event a divorce with Jimmy GQ becomes inevitable.
