The Broncos had been rumored for weeks to have at least some level of interest in former No. 2 overall selection Robert Griffin III, and early this week, Gary Kubiak confirmed Denver’s front office had done their due diligence in scouting RGIII, but it seems as if that’s where it ended.
Yesterday, RGIII signed with the Cleveland Browns, and according to Mike Klis of 9News, it was in large part because John Elway didn’t want him.
“[A]fter making a few phone calls, Elway was concerned about Griffin’s character,” Klis writes. “Elway never did express interest in the former Washington quarterback who was the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 2012 but had several fallouts with Coach Mike Shanahan, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and teammates.”
There’s no doubt that RGIII likely would have jumped at the opportunity to play for the Denver Broncos. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, RGIII grew up a Denver Broncos fan, and his wife, Rebecca Liddicoat, was raised up the highway in Boulder.
But no matter how strong RGIII’s ties are to Colorado, apparently they aren’t as strong as Elway’s ties to his old coach, Mike Shanahan, who was also coached RGIII during his first two years in Washington. It’s never been a secret that the two didn’t get along, and the relationship did not end on a high note; if Elway did call Shanahan for an opinion, it’s hard to imagine it was a good one.
And it would be hard to argue that Shanahan is wrong. If it had just been him and his coaching staff, fine; that’s one thing. But it wasn’t just him; the same exact scenario played out with RGIII and Jay Gruden, Shanahan’s successor, too. And in the end, the franchise decided to move forward with Kirk Cousins.
There’s talent left in RGIII, but the concern for the Broncos is whether that talent outweighs the distractions. In this case, like with Tim Tebow a few years back, the answer is no, at least in the eyes of John Elway.
