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Robert Griffin III was the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Football Team in the 2012 NFL draft. Kirk Cousins was a fourth-round pick of Washington in that same draft.
Both players left Washington on bad terms. Griffin was never the same after an amazing rookie season, while Cousins officially took the starting job in 2015. Griffin was gone after that season.
Cousins would have three strong seasons for Washington before departing after the 2017 season, after contract squabbles with former team president Bruce Allen.
The two weren’t the best of friends, in part because of Griffin’s insecurities with Cousins from their time together in Washington.
On Friday, Griffin was offering analysis on the NFL draft for Bleacher Report and took a couple of shots at his former teammate after the Vikings selected Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond in the third round.
“Kellen Mond represents exactly what he doesn’t do well. … Cousins has been collecting checks there in Minnesota for a long time.”@RGiii doesn't think Kirk will be happy with the pick 👀 @brgridiron
(@RocketMortgage) pic.twitter.com/IAyl97AFBl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2021
“Yeah, I can tell you that No. 8 in Minnesota is not real happy right now,” Griffin said. “Because Kellen Mond represents exactly what he doesn’t do well. Kellen Mond is the big, physical quarterback. He can run it, throw it all over the field, and I don’t think that’s something that No. 8 is able to do in Cousins in Minnesota. But, I think that’s what the coaching staff and administration is looking for.”
Griffin wasn’t quite done, saving his best for last.
“As you’ve seen, Cousins has been collecting checks there in Minnesota for a long time, taking them to 8-8, 9-7 seasons,” he said.
Meanwhile, Griffin is currently out of the NFL after spending three seasons as a backup in Baltimore.
The Cousins/Griffin debate is still one that divides Washington fans. Some WFT fans will always appreciate Griffin for his outstanding rookie season. However, those same fans never appreciated what Cousins brought to the team, despite having a much better career in Washington and beyond.
By the end of the 2022 season, Cousins will have earned around $196 million through 11 years in the NFL.
That’s not a bad gig for just collecting checks.