The Washington Commanders have finally found their franchise QB in Jayden Daniels, who broke plenty of records during last year’s historic rookie campaign that was capped off with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
The Commanders QB set plenty of notable records like the most rushing yards in a season for a NFL rookie (891), the highest completion percentage for a rookie QB (69%), the most points per game from a rookie QB (28.5) and most fourth-quarter or overtime touchdown passes with 12.
Daniels led the Commanders to their first NFC Championship game since 1991, and in the postseason, he played some of his best football. He threw for 8222 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception in the playoffs with wins over the Bucs and Lions before falling to the Eagles. He also added another 135 rushing yards and a touchdown in the postseason.
But back in 2012, the Washington Commanders thought they found their future franchise QB when they drafted Robert Griffin III (RG3), out of Baylor. Just like Daniels, Griffin was selected with the No. 2 overall pick.
While Griffin didn’t put up the kind of numbers Daniels did during his rookie campaign in D.C., he also won Offensive Rookie of the Year and set records for the highest passer rating for a rookie (102.4 at the time) and most rushing yards (815) until Daniels broke it in 2024.
Griffin was supposed to be the future franchise QB for the Commanders, but a few brutal injuries derailed his career. Ultimately, he was replaced by Kirk Cousins and his last stop as a NFL player was in Baltimore backing up Lamar Jackson.
As Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports points out, a recent Tik Tok video showing Griffin going through rigorous workouts is drumming up speculation the 35-year-old QB may be prepping for a comeback.
After a shocking TikTok video, it looks like former Washington Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin is eyeing an NFL Comeback. This return would probably send shockwaves across the league since no one has seen the quarterback start since 2012, when he had an enormous rookie season, recording the league records for the highest rookie passer rating and touchdown-interception ratio while leading the Commaanders to their first divisional title since 1999.
Palacios mentions the Carolina Panthers as a possible destination for Griffin, but hones in on the New Orleans Saints as the best fit.
It’s been an atrocious offseason for the New Orleans Saints. Inexperienced Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler will have to battle it out for the starting job, which is a huge blow for head coach Kellen Moore’s first season taking over the organization. Without an adequate quarterback, the Saints won’t be postseason contenders, but if they bring back Griffin for at least two years, this could change the trajectory of this upcoming campaign.