Robert Griffin III criticizes Falcons’ quarterback play while pitching himself for NFL return

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III has inserted himself into the conversation surrounding the Atlanta Falcons’ early-season struggles, using social media to question the team’s quarterback situation while advocating for his own return to the league.

The Falcons have stumbled out of the gate at 0-2, and their offense has drawn league-wide scrutiny for its inability to move the ball. Atlanta remains the only NFL team that has not reached the red zone through the first two weeks of the season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has rotated Cooper Rush and Jack Strand at quarterback, with neither performing effectively.

Griffin, who won the 2011 Heisman Trophy at Baylor and was selected second overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders, called out the Falcons and similar teams in a post on X.

“When Cooper Rush and Jack Strand are stinking it up in Atlanta it makes zero sense that QBs like Cam Newton, Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Tannehill and myself aren’t the veteran presence in the room to stabilize teams when their QB goes down,” Griffin wrote, pointing out that several of those names had recently been in action for Carolina.

Atlanta, meanwhile, is planning a change. Michael Penix Jr. is slated to start in Week 3 after the team’s winless start. The 2024 first-round pick has appeared in just 14 games so far, giving the franchise a limited sample from which to evaluate its long-term answer at the position.

Griffin’s pitch faces a steep credibility gap. The 36-year-old last appeared in an NFL game with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, and he has not started more than two games in a season since his 2016 stint with the Cleveland Browns. He has been working in media in recent years rather than on an NFL roster.

Market context

Griffin spent part of his Ravens tenure at the Under Armour Performance Center, the team’s training facility named for the Baltimore-based apparel brand. Under Armour, Inc. (UAA), which designs and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories, traded at $4.88 on the day, down 1.21% from a previous close of $4.94, giving the Consumer Cyclical sector company a market capitalization of approximately $2.25 billion.

Whether any franchise views a veteran free-agent addition as worthwhile remains to be seen, but Griffin’s comments highlight a broader debate about how teams handle emergency quarterback depth when starters go down.

What to watch

• Michael Penix Jr.’s performance in his Week 3 start and whether Atlanta can secure its first win.
• Whether the Falcons make further roster moves at quarterback following the 0-2 start.
• Any free-agent signings involving veteran quarterbacks referenced in Griffin’s post.
• Under Armour’s next quarterly earnings report for updates on its sports apparel business.

Source: original release