The biggest shock of the 2012 NFL Draft is still visible on your TV screen every weekend; even now, more than a decade later.

Before the Jayden Daniels emergence, Washington had two rookie quarterbacks battling for the starting role.

Robert Griffin III was a rookie sensation in Washington

Desperately in need of a new quarterback after the previous year’s trade for Donovan McNabb failed, the then-Washington Redskins went searching. 

With the second overall pick owned by the St. Louis Rams – who had selected their plan for a franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford the year prior – Washington sensed an opportunity to find their new leader.

It took three first-round picks and a second, but Washington got the deal done and shortly after Andrew Luck went off the board to became an Indianapolis Colt, Robert Griffin III was selected by Washington.

Winner of the 2011 Heisman Award thanks to a historic final collegiate season with Baylor, RGIII flashed his potential at the combine, running a 4.41 40-yard-dash, the fastest of any quarterback in his class.

The pick was an immediate success. Starting 15 games in his maiden campaign, Griffin broke rookie records for passer rating and touchdown to interception ratio – both since beaten by Dak Prescott – en-route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and making the Pro Bowl.

However, the season ended in disaster for both Griffin and Washington. But before we get to that, we must rewind to draft night.

Or rather, the days following draft night.

100 picks after Griffin heading for Washington, his team selected a second quarterback by the name of Kirk Cousins.

Fast forward back to Griffin’s epic rookie season and it’s Week 14, Washington edging towards the playoffs with a 7-6 record as they take on the Baltimore Ravens.

On the final drive of the fourth quarter, Griffin is forced off with an apparent knee injury. Cousins replaces him and the Redskins win in overtime.

Kirk Cousins is in Atlanta, but began his NFL career in WashingtonGetty

Griffin only missed one game with a knee sprain but controversy broke on the eve of his team’s playoff clash with the Seattle Seahawks when it emerged that the young quarterback had not been medically cleared ahead of his return from that injury.

Regardless, Griffin led Washington out for their first playoff appearance since 2007.

A truly unique and magical rookie season ended in defeat and ended with Griffin lying on the ground in pain – thanks to the same knee.

It was later revealed that Griffin had torn his ACL, requiring surgery. He ended up starting just 20 more games for Washington, winning only five of them as his once-thrilling career sputtered. 

Meanwhile, Cousins has now passed 150 career starts, currently with his third NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons, racking up more than $280million in career earnings after free agency moved to Minnesota and this in March to Atlanta.

All the while appearing in just five playoff games.

Now, fascinating details have emerged which would have altered the direction of these two quarterbacks’ lives as well as the franchise that drafted them both.

Speaking to the PardonMyTake podcast, long-time NFL journalist Mike Silver revealed insight inside the Washington locker room at one of the more crucial sliding-doors moments in their recent history.

“You’ll remember that game that year where RG3 gets hurt (against Baltimore) and now Kirk Cousins who they had also drafted that year, has to play in Cleveland,” Silver explained. 

“And they (Washington) run a more traditional Shanahan game-plan. With a lot of boots, fake hand-off, the roll-out…and Kirk Cousins goes wild in that game and they win.

“So now, here’s the post-game scene: Dan Snyder barrels through the locker room, goes right past Kirk Cousins – who is having this glorious moment – almost steps on him to get to Robert Griffin and say to him ‘Hey, don’t worry, it’s okay, you’re still my guy.’ And Kirk is just standing there…it’s super awkward.

“While this is happening, RG2, Robert’s father, who was very involved has somehow managed to get into the locker room and he’s all over Mike Shanahan.

‘Why didn’t you call any running plays?’ And Mike was like ‘He (Cousins) can run on those boots, he just chose to throw.’ ‘We want to run those plays with Robert!’

“So Robert comes back too early, probably because he’s threatened by that. That playoff game where he ends tearing up the knee and that’s the beginning of the end, was horrible, but in most people’s minds he’ll get surgery and come back and they’ll build on this and it will be amazing.

“But at the end of the season, Mike Shanahan ends up recommending to Dan Snyder, Bruce Allen the GM, and the other owners, that they should trade Robert now. 

“‘We know he’s not really what people think he is, the league is going to catch up and it’s not going to work out the way you think. His value is amazing – we might be able to get back the three ones we gave up and we can play with Kirk.’ 

“Mike Shanahan has it all figured out – like this is the best idea ever – and it did not go over well.”

Granted, it would be hard for anyone to give up on a talent like Griffin following the immense highs of his rookie year but perhaps this story says more about the back-up quarterback who has gone on to cement himself as an NFL starter.

Cousins missed most of last season with a torn AchillesAP

Cousins ended up taking the reigns from Griffin in Washington in 2015, staying for three seasons as starter before moving on to Minnesota. Only once did Cousins make the playoffs as he kept Washington competitive without being incredible, going 24-23-1.

In 2018, Cousins signed a record-setting contract with the Vikings and has since penned another giant deal with the Falcons. Meanwhile, RG3 has become a well-known NFL TV analyst, although he was recently let go by ESPN.

So this all begs the question: How different could life have been in Washington had they listened to their two-time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan and traded Griffin to put their trust in Cousins?

On the face of it, possibly nothing of note would have changed.

After all, Cousins has only managed one individual playoff win in his 12 NFL seasons ahead of 2024, earning a winning record in five of nine seasons as a starter.

But paired with the haul Washington could have received from trading Griffin, and led by Shanahan – a coach who clearly believed in him in – perhaps Washington would be a city of champions by now had this story ended differently.

Regardless, Snyder, Shanahan, Cousins and Griffin are all gone now as Washington embark on a new era led by another prodigious young quarterback talent taken with the second overall pick – Jayden Daniels. What could go wrong?

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