The Daniel Snyder era is over in D.C., but its unique aroma still lingers.
Former Washington coach Jay Gruden and former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III have been going at it of late on social media. From Griffin’s perspective, he’s apparently sharing some of the details that would have emerged in his abandoned book project about his time with the franchise.
It apparently started because Gruden made a comment during Monday night’s Eagles-Buccaneers game regarding the fact that Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was constantly under siege.
“If I ever put a QB through what Philly is putting Jalen through, I apologize,” Gruden posted on X. “Pick up a blitz!”
Griffin technically started it, responding to Gruden’s post by declaring, “Say WHATTTT?” Gruden took the bait, posing this question: “U weren’t prepared, Robert?”
Said Griffin: “You told me you didn’t know how to coach a QB who could throw and run like me, so looks like you weren’t prepared Jay.”
Said Gruden: “You are right. We didn’t have a good enough staff. Sorry. Hope all is well with ya.” (Sean McVay was the offensive coordinator in 2014, Gruden’s first year as coach and Griffin’s final year as the starter.)
It apparently died down at that point. More recently, Griffin told a story in his podcast about Gruden allegedly sending Griffin to a press conference with an instruction to essentially challenge the players around him to play better. After Griffin was criticized for calling out teammates, Gruden allegedly didn’t have Griffin’s back. Instead, per Griffin, Gruden flipped it around in the team meeting room and “burned me in front of my teammates.” (Here’s the full clip.)
Replied Gruden, “You really wanna play this game?”
Griffin: “I’m not playing any games, I’m retired. You have a free invite to come on the show and discuss. Face to face. I know where all your bodies are buried Jay. Don’t play with me.”
Gruden then said (and deleted) this, via the New York Post: “You weren’t good enough. Kirk [Cousins] was better. Cleveland didn’t want you. Baltimore [didn’t] either. Quit blaming me.”
Gruden ended things (for now) by telling Griffin to “go race a pigeon,” adding a video of Griffin outrunning a bird in Seattle.
The only actual news in all of this is that Griffin has announced his retirement, sort of. On various occasions in the past, he has hinted at a willingness to play for someone/anyone. In October 2023, Griffin told Dan Patrick that he wants to play.
“The bottom line is, for me, I want to play still,” Griffin said at the time. “I’m enjoying what I’m doing in the media . . . but if the right opportunity came along, I would certainly entertain it, and make the right decision.”
Apparently, a decision has been made. He’s retired. (Of course, nothing stops him from unretiring.)
As to the social-media fight, there’s no real winner in this. Both men are out of the NFL. Griffin has a more effective bully pulpit from which he can take shots and/or air grievances. Gruden can nevertheless say whatever he wants on social media. Given recent events, it surely will be covered.
Griffin definitely started this round of it. Gruden was defending Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Griffin tried to make it about him. Gruden gave in to the temptation to keep it going. Griffin, after it was over on social media, made it an issue in his podcast.
For Griffin, the damage to his NFL career was done long before Jay Gruden became the head coach of the team. And Griffin had a fair shot to turn things around under Gruden and McVay. As Gruden said in the deleted post on X, the team decided that Kirk Cousins was better.
Is there an alternate universe in which Griffin lands with a different franchise and becomes a true franchise quarterback? He was the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2012. He was spectacular that year until he suffered a torn ACL. Maybe he would have been a much better player beyond 2012 if he hadn’t been stuck in such a dysfunctional franchise.
Regardless, for the same reason(s) Griffin abandoned his supposed tell-all tome about his time in Washington, he perhaps should resist the urge to use his current platform to settle scores with coaches who aren’t currently coaching in the NFL, and likely never will again.
Griffin’s future in the media is bright. Dredging up old beefs from a decade ago will only get in the way of the path he’s now on.
