Robert Griffin III was both one of the most impressive rookie quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, and a cautionary tale about the impact of returning too early from injuries, both during a season and after surgery. Days after ACL injuries prematurely ended the seasons of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Packers defensive end Micah Parsons—two of the NFL’s brightest stars—Griffin preached patience for them both.

Griffin suffered an LCL sprain on Dec. 9 of his rookie year, missing Washington’s Week 15 game the following weekend but returning for the end of the regular season. He re-injured his knee in Washington’s wild-card loss to the Seahawks, and ultimately underwent surgery to repair his ACL and LCL—the same set of injuries suffered by Mahomes around the same time in the calendar. Griffin skipped the preseason in 2013 but returned to play 13 games of his second year, failing to recreate the magic of his Rookie of the Year campaign. He would never start more than seven games in a season after that, and was out of the league by 2020, becoming one of the NFL’s great recent “what-ifs.”

Mahomes and Parsons are both in much different places in their careers, and are both load-bearing pillars keeping Kansas City’s and Green Bay’s Super Bowl windows open. Even so, Griffin had a clear message to the two superstars during a recent Dan Patrick Show appearance: Sit next year out.

“The No. 1 advice I would give to Micah Parsons and Patrick Mahomes right now is to not play next year. And it’s because of when they got hurt. They both got hurt in December,” Griffin said. “You look at these injuries, and we’ve seen guys come back in six months, eight months, nine months, and it would be nine months for both of them if they were ready to go Week 1. But you don’t really feel like yourself until about 15 months after the injury, and some guys will tell you, hey, it took me 24 months to truly feel like myself again.

“Don’t get me wrong, 80% of Micah Parsons is better than dang near every pass rusher in the NFL. 80% of Patrick Mahomes is better than almost every quarterback in the NFL. But I look at it from a standpoint because of my own experience, and these guys aren’t me, but I tore my ACL and LCL—the same injury Patrick Mahomes has right now—and I wouldn’t have played in 2013 if hindsight, which it is 20/20, I wouldn’t have played the following year. Because I wasn’t back to myself yet. And Mahomes is a guy that runs around, is very creative and a great second reaction quarterback, and he can play from the pocket, but I would advise them to not play next year so that when they come back in ‘27, they can truly and fully be themselves, and it won’t knock off years of their career.

More: How NFL Stars Have Performed Post-ACL Tear in Wake of Mahomes, Parsons Injuries

Robert Griffin III addresses the planned timelines for Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons to return

The former Heisman winner may be sharing sage advice, but he knows well that a pair of competitors like Mahomes and Parsons aren’t going to sit out any longer than they have to—and will probably have full belief that they will be close to 100% when they do suit up, whether that is Week 1 of the 2026 season or a few weeks into the campaign.

“I’ve got sources pretty close to the situation there that Mahomes is all-in for Week 1, and we’ve seen Micah say he’s all-in for Week 1 as well. And it’s because as players we are wired to have this gladiator mindset that we can overcome anything and we’re not normal, and we’re not normal, but at the same time I would advise them to sit out the following season because of when they got hurt, and then you can play another 10, 15 years once you’re fully back to health.

“Do I think that’s what’s going to happen? No, I think they’re going to come back and play Week 1, because that’s how we’re wired and the only people that can really protect them is the teams.”

Mahomes has already undergone surgery on his knee, potentially accelerating his timeline to return. Barring any setbacks, he could return by next September, and perhaps even by Week 1, despite Griffin’s understandable warnings. Gardner Minshew will lead the Chiefs through the rest of the season, though Kansas City has been eliminated from the playoffs.

Parsons has not yet had surgery to repair his ACL tear, as of Wednesday morning. He vowed a major comeback in a social media post after the injury.

“I may be sidelined, but I am not defeated. This injury is my greatest test—a moment God allowed to strengthen my testimony. I believe He walks with me through this storm and chose me for this fight because He knew my heart could carry it. I’m deeply grateful to the Packers organization and my teammates for their unwavering support, love, and belief in me during this season. I trust His timing, His plan, and His purpose. I will rise again.”

At 9-4-1, Green Bay currently occupies the seventh seed in the NFC playoff picture, but are two games ahead of the Lions in the loss column and could jump all the way back up to the No. 2 seed with a second win over the Bears (10–4) in Chicago on Sunday. The Packers have pinged between looking dominant and struggling with some of the NFL’s lesser teams this season, with Parsons healthy. Without him, they need to come up with some novel solutions to pressure opposing quarterbacks, as no other Green Bay pass rusher has been nearly as productive as Parsons, and will now garner more attention with him on the sideline.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why RGIII Says Patrick Mahomes, Micah Parsons Should Absolutely Sit Out 2026 Season.

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