Robert Griffin III open to football return via new career

Free agent Robert Griffin III seemingly hasn't yet given up on his dream of returning to the NFL as an active quarterback but could also embrace a new career at some level of the sport. 

According to Jessica Kleinschmidt of The Comeback, former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall appeared on the latest edition of the "RG3 and the Ones" podcast and asked Griffin if the signal-caller could envision getting into coaching. 

"I appreciate the vote of confidence -- yes," Griffin responded. "I want to get into coaching. I believe that it’s a passion and it’s one of those things of, where does it start? In yesterday’s league, you had to start at the bottom as an assistant …"

Griffin turns 34 years old next month and hasn't taken a snap in a meaningful NFL game since the 2020 season. However, the current ESPN analyst made it known this past November he was at least somewhat interested in joining the Cleveland Browns after Cleveland lost Deshaun Watson to a season-ending shoulder injury. 

The Browns ultimately signed Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player Joe Flacco, and Flacco became a Cleveland savior who guided the franchise to the playoffs. 

Meanwhile, Griffin added during the podcast that, as a coach, he'd adopt an offensive system similar to the one used by San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan repeatedly has been credited for quarterback Brock Purdy emerging as an MVP candidate this past fall. 

"I’m gonna run a combination of the Shanahan system with the spread (run-pass options) that we see so prevalent in college today," Griffin explained. "Why would I take a college quarterback and put him in a system that doesn’t accentuate what he did in college?"

Kleinschmidt noted that Shanahan actually utilizes "a run-heavy, chaotic offense" that features weapons such as superstar running back Christian McCaffrey and dual-threat offensive weapon Deebo Samuel. Regardless, it's clear Griffin is open to doing more than just discussing football assuming his playing days are over.