Robert Griffin III has found the landing spot to try to relaunch his career as an NFL quarterback.
Griffin signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, the team announced. The deal is worth $15 million over two years, with a maximum value of $22 million, according to contract details obtained by USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero.
“I'm excited about the opportunity to join the Dawg Pound and help build something here in Cleveland,” Griffin said in a release. “Coach Hue (Jackson) and Pep (Hamilton), I had a great meeting with them. I really believe in what they preach and how they can help not only me as a player but this team win games and that's what we're all about."
Griffin was the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Redskins in the 2012 NFL draft and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year that season, but he was supplanted as the team's starter last year by Kirk Cousins. He was released on March 7.
“We are excited about Robert joining the Cleveland Browns,” Jackson said. “He brings starting experience to our team and organization. He's a young, athletic, talented passer and he's really just starting out in this league. Just like every player on our team, Robert will have to earn every opportunity he gets. He will compete with the rest of the quarterbacks on our roster and he helps improve our QB room, which was one of my goals upon taking the job. It's a special room and we want to put special people and players in that room.”
The Browns also hold the No. 2 pick in April's draft and could consider a quarterback. Cleveland started three players at the position last season and waived Johnny Manziel earlier in March.
"If they draft a quarterback, I'll take the guy under my wing," Griffin said in a conference call with reporters. "I've been through a lot more than a lot of guys go through their entire career."
And he was preaching a team-first attitude that critics in Washington said was missing at times during RG3's time with the Redskins.
“This isn’t about me, to be honest with you. I really just want to go out and help this team win football games," he said. "I believe in what Coach Hue is preaching. I believe in Pep and what they plan to do. That’s really what it is about for me. It is about the team.
"It is about Coach (Jackson) believing in this team, believing in this city, otherwise he wouldn’t have taken the job. If he didn’t believe in what I can do, he wouldn’t have brought me to Cleveland with him."
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