A shoulder injury suffered in the season opener limited Robert Griffin III to just five games with the Browns this season, but the quarterback believes what he did while he was on the field made a statement.
"I'm not an idiot,'' Griffin told reporters Monday, via Cleveland.com. "I know a lot of people were writing me off as a player, as a quarterback, saying I couldn't do it. And to go out and show that I can, I think that proves a lot of people wrong.''
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How many people share that opinion is an open question heading toward next season, with Griffin's status in Cleveland unclear at the moment. The Browns have been mentioned prominently in trade rumors involving Jimmy Garoppolo and hold the No. 1 pick in this spring's NFL draft, so the opportunity to make a move for a new starting quarterback is there.
Where that would leave Griffin remains to be seen. A starting job anywhere else in the league certainly would seem a stretch, but he could hook on as a backup for a team that believes he still has enough of the magic that made him the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 to be worth a roll of the dice.
That team could very well be Cleveland, but Browns coach Hue Jackson wasn't tipping his hand after Sunday's season-ending loss to the Steelers.
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"I've seen him get better,'' Jackson told reporters. "I see things to keep growing from. I'll watch it more in detail. There were some good things today. There were things that he can improve on. Every week he went out there and got better. I still think there's another level for him to play at. We'll evaluate and see if it's the right thing for us as we move on.''
