Travis Kelce made a joke about the Cleveland Browns quarterback situation while making a surprise appearance on Monday Night Countdown.
The Kansas City Chiefs star crashed the ESPN set prior to a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and asked Robert Griffin III if he was going to suit up for Cleveland.
“What’s up big dog. You playing in Cleveland or what!” Kelce asked Griffin, who made a public pitch to the Browns to sign him.
“I don’t know. They have a Super Bowl MVP now,” Griffin said with a laugh, referencing the signing of Joe Flacco by the Browns.
It was all in good fun from Kelce, who went to Cleveland Heights High School and still has love for his hometown team. His mother, Donna, even said Kelce dreamed of playing for the Browns.
“He always wanted to play there. But it just didn’t happen,” Kelce’s mom Donna, told WKYC in 2021. “It is what it is.”
Griffin might have been laughing on Monday with Kelce but he was serious while making his pitch to the Browns after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
“The Browns should start me at quarterback,” Griffin said on his podcast “RG3 and The Ones” on November 16. “One, at 33 years old, I understand the game better than I ever have in my entire career. I know how to slide, and I know when to slide. That was a huge issue in my eight years in the NFL. But I’ve learned. I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m ready to showcase that I can get it done.”
Griffin hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2020, when he suited up as Lamar Jackson’s backup with the Baltimore Ravens. He’s a full-time analyst with ESPN but noted he still has elite athletic ability. Griffin said he can still run a 4.3-second 40-yard dash and can throw the ball 80 yards.
With the bevy of quarterback injuries around the league, perhaps Griffin will eventually get the call to leave the broadcast booth. However, it won’t be with the Browns, who have their man in Flacco.
The Browns decision to sign Flacco was reported on Sunday but made official on Monday. Flacco has appeared in 183 games with 180 starts in stints with the Ravens (2008-18), Broncos (2019) and New York Jets (2020-22). Flacco has completed 3,881 of 6,299 career passes (61.6 percent) with 232 touchdowns and 147 interceptions. He has compiled a 99-81 (.550) record as a starter.
Flacco will not step into the starting quarterback role for the 7-3 Browns — at least not right away. He was signed to the practice squad and the Browns will continue to roll with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson against the Denver Broncos.
“Dorian will start and Joe’s role is to support this team,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Coming in here, we were able to add a guy with a ton of experience. He’ll be great for that room. He’ll be great for this team.”
The Browns have won three in a row and will look to keep the momentum rolling against the Broncos, who have notched wins in their last four games. Denver is a 1.5-point favorite for the matchup.