Washington Commanders fans are trapped in a time machine, forced to relive an era of football that is but a cruel reminder of the unfulfilled hopes and dreams that come with being a modern supporter of the franchise. Jay Gruden and Robert Griffin III are doing everything in their power to keep them stuck there.

The former head coach and retired quarterback have been rehashing the tumultuous past on social media over the last few days, but it has quickly escalated to vitriolic levels. The beef ignited, or perhaps reignited, on X/Twitter during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' stunning route of the Philadelphia Eagles in Monday's NFC Wild Card face-off and carried over onto Griffin's podcast.

While recounting an incident from his playing days, he accused Gruden of encouraging him to place culpability on his teammates at a press conference and then throwing him under the bus to the media and the team when the comments were not perceived well by the public. Griffin said that Gruden's inability to have his back showed he had “zero integrity.”

Well, after the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year landed those haymakers, Gruden decided to go for the jugular with a now-deleted post. “You weren't good enough,” he wrote, via TMZ Sports. “Kirk [Cousins] was better. Cleveland didn't want you. Baltimore [didn't] either. Quit blaming me.”

Jay Gruden rips into Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III surrounded by flames

Oof. The inactive coach, who was dismissed from Washington in 2019 after six seasons and last worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, set out to utterly eviscerate the current ESPN analyst. It was not long before he deleted the scathing words and instead posted a video of the former Heisman Trophy winner racing the Seattle Seahawks mascot- an Augur Buzzard named Taima- earlier this season. The caption read, “Go race a pigeon.”

Fans remember all-too-well how the exciting mobile quarterback's career began to derail after he tore the ACL, LCL and meniscus in his right knee during a 2013 playoff game. His passing numbers declined and injuries persisted throughout his career. Robert Griffin III has not played for another NFL team since the Baltimore Ravens waived him in January of 2021.

How many more rounds can Gruden and RGIII go?

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Commanders, Dan Quinn, Dante Fowler Jr., Cowboys, Falcons

Shervon Fakhimi ·

cG9zdDoyODE3NTE2-thumbnail

Brian Buyawe ·

Jayden Daniels in a Washington Commanders uniform. Commanders No. 2 pick

Dylan Bruton ·

Retired wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who played with Griffin from 2014-16, is not a fan of this beef but is supporting his former teammate. “I feel like RGIII has the right to say what he says 
 and it's valid,” Jackson said on FanDuel's Up & Adams.

Unsurprisingly, Griffin fired back at Jay Gruden's latest insult with a blistering one of his own. “The Pigeon name is more respected than your last name,” Griffin said, possibly also referencing the email scandal of Jay's brother, Jon Gruden. Again, it is an Augur Buzzard, not a pigeon. Maybe Taima will be compelled to swoop in and enter this ongoing quarrel.

Otherwise, Commanders fans would probably rather just move on from this beef and the old era of Washington football it represents and instead focus on the present. On second thought, maybe it's best for them to just take a break from football for a bit, nay sports.