Robert Griffin III knows what went wrong in Washington D.C. over his first four seasons in the NFL and so does Browns coach Hue Jackson and Jets coach Todd Bowles.
The coaches told reporters Tuesday during the league's annual meeting that Griffin was candid in his meetings with both teams earlier this month although neither visit ended with a new contract.
“I heard the truth,” Jackson said. “He takes responsibility. He knows there’s things he could have did better and that’s where he is. To me, that showed me the humbleness. Because that’s what it’s all about. In this league, you don’t grow if you don’t admit that you made some mistakes, and that’s OK.”
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Added Bowles, "Things didn’t work out. He kept getting hurt. They played the other guy. He didn’t have any excuses. He didn’t badmouth anybody, have any excuses. He just wants to play and get better and move forward. He understood what happened, he took it in stride and he moved forward."
Both coaches said they asked Griffin tough questions, including how the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year went from a rookie phenom to a benchwarmer behind Kirk Cousins.
“I don’t baby people,” Jackson said. “Sorry, it’s just not who I am. I ask the tough questions, and I expect to get the tough answers. He handled all that extremely well. At the same time, nothing is decided or anything, but I felt better about him because he answered some questions that I had. I think he represented himself the right way.”
The Browns may be considering bringing in Griffin or take a top quarterback in the draft at No. 2 overall? Why not both?
Jackson, a former Cal assistant, was one of many coaches in attendance Friday at Goff’s Pro Day and clearly came away impressed.
"The guy threw the ball tremendously,” Jackson said (via Cleveland.com). “He can make all the throws. For a big guy, he's more athletic than people think. He has quick feet. He obviously has a quick release. What I've seen on videotape to go along with the workout is he has tremendous poise in the pocket.”
Jackson also said Goff would fit well in Cleveland’s offseason “reboot,” but where does that leave Griffin?
"I have told RGIII, whatever we decide to do is what we do,'' Jackson said, just days after calling the former Redskins QB a " tremendous talent."
"If it did (happen), to me, he would have to compete and I don't ever worry about that," Jackson said. "The cream always rises to the top, and if a guy is afraid of competition, then you have the wrong guy anyway. We'll be fine regardless of how it goes, whether it goes that way and we draft somebody else or it doesn't go that way and we end up taking two quarterbacks. You never know.''
Though Cleveland isn’t expected to be much to look at on the field, the additions of both Goff and Griffin would make the Browns worth following during the offseason.
Along with the Browns, the Jets and Broncos are in the running for the 26-year-old QB, who hasn't played a down since suffering a concussion in August.