Robert Griffin III has been given another chance to return to the gridiron after signing a one year deal with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday April 4^th.  After not being on an NFL roster in 2017, RGIII has been chomping at the bit to play football again.

In an interview with ESPN last December, RGIII discussed his mentality to returning to the league.

“I think every quarterback in my situation, being this young, having the success that I’ve had in the league, you want to be a starter,” Griffin said. “That’s what you want. But what am I willing to do? I’m willing to go in and compete to be QB1, because when you’re out of football for a year, you have to have that expectation. Whether I go in as a one or a two, I’m still going in there to compete, but I wouldn’t mind going in and sitting behind an aging vet, learning some things from them, grow with an offensive staff, grow with the team, see the pieces that they can put together and grow as a football player in that way. I’m not opposed to that, but as a quarterback, as a competitor, I want to go in and compete.”

That exact situation has begun to unfold for the 28 year old quarterback. Griffin will compete for the QB2 spot against Josh Woodrum this offseason for the opportunity to sit behind an aging vet, Joe Flacco.

In his last season with the Cleveland Browns in 2016, RGIII played in five games, passing for 886 yards and tallying two touchdowns to go along three interceptions. His completion percentage was a subpar 59.2. He also ran for 190 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. Not the worst start, especially for the Browns, but the misfortune of Griffin struck again in a game against the Eagles when he fractured his left shoulder. The recovery time needed and Griffin’s track record concerned the Browns and on March 10^th, 2017, the team released him.

The Ravens expressed interest in Griffin before the 2017 season, but Griffin felt that the move was too short notice and he wouldn’t have enough time to learn the Raven’s offense well enough to compete. A year later however, the time was right for RGIII and he signed a one year contract with the Ravens and shortly after tweeted this.

The Baltimore coaching staff, specifically John Harbaugh, feels like the team “got a steal.”

“I’m very excited about it,” coach John Harbaugh said. “The coaches are excited. Robert came in, had a really good workout, looked good throwing the ball, was in very good shape. Obviously, his personality, he’s a confident guy. He’s a very talented quarterback that’s had a lot of success in this league early on. So we’re excited about it. We felt like we needed a No. 2 quarterback.”

Harbaugh, and the rest of the Ravens, have good reason to be excited for the signing. Yes, Griffin has had a litany of injuries since his rookie season in 2012. But, before all of those injuries began piling up, Griffin earned the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Griffin obviously has a long road ahead of him. The Ravens plan has been and will continue to be starting Joe Flacco, but having the 2012 number two overall draft pick, and a player who was touted as being one of the most exciting players to watch in the league during his rookie season is never a bad person to have on the roster.