Robert Griffin III hasn't started more than seven games in a season since 2013, his second year in the NFL, and has been a full-time backup in Baltimore the past two years after sitting out the 2017 campaign.
The once-upon-a-time Offensive Rookie of the Year, however, still holds out hope that clutching a clipboard isn't the entirety of his fated NFL future.
"I do want to be a starter again," Griffin said recently on 1660 ESPN, via NBC Sports Washington. "I'm 30 years old. Quarterbacks are playing into their 40s now. There's a lot of time left to still go achieve all the dreams and goals I set for myself."
Griffin was last given a chance to be a starter in Cleveland in 2016, after then-coach Hue Jackson's infamous "Earth moved beneath my feet" comment about RG3's offseason workout. Griffin started five games that season and looked overwhelmed, skittish and scattershot.
To turn his career around and get a shot at another starting gig would be a hell of a next chapter in the saga that has been his pro career.
Spending the last two years in Baltimore, however, certainly should have helped rehab his perception around the league.
"It's been an amazing experience being in Baltimore," Griffin said. "A top-notch, first-class organization. They take care of their players. They understand the importance of taking care of the quarterbacks and surround the quarterback with guys and people that will help them grow. I'm a part of that. I'm a part of that for Lamar (Jackson), helping him grow, helping him see the game, helping him continue to get better every single day."
With Lamar Jackson and the Ravens proving a diverse, multifaceted offense led by a dual-threat quarterback can cause havoc on defenses, it's not out of the question that Griffin, who began his career with one of the most explosive seasons ever from a quarterback, could be given a shot to compete for a starting gig at some point.
Barring a disastrous injury to Jackson -- like the one that began to unravel Griffin's career -- that opportunity isn't happening in Baltimore.
While RG3 isn't giving up hope of competing for a starting gig again, he didn't rule out being Jackson's caddie for more than just next season -- he'd just like a pay raise.
"Right now, with where I'm at in Baltimore, just trying to maximize that opportunity," Griffin said. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be in Baltimore for the foreseeable future playing the role I am now but getting compensated more for it, or I'll be able to go out and compete to be a starter again somewhere in the league."
