The Houston Texans got their first victory of the 2023 season Sunday, but for cornerback Shaquill Griffin the 37-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars meant a little bit more.
Griffin, 28, was moved into the Texans’ starting lineup earlier this week after Derek Stingley Jr. suffered a hamstring injury in practice. That set up the veteran cornerback for a chance at redemption against his former team.
Buy Jaguars TicketsAfter the game, he told Juston Lewis of the Florida Times-Union that he very much considered his matchup against the Jaguars an opportunity for revenge.
“I got released by that team during my surgery. So, it got very personal,” Griffin told Lewis after the game. “You try to give so much to somebody. Even in that year when I was playing with them, playing through those injuries and stuff, I gave everything I had to it.”
Griffin signed with the Jaguars on a three-year, $44.5 million deal in 2021. After a relatively strong first season with the team, the cornerback struggled in 2022 while dealing with a back injury. Griffin allowed a game-winning touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6 and was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter.
While the cornerback told the Times-Union that he hoped to return to the Jaguars in 2023, the team released him in March to clear more than $13.1 million in cap space.
On Sunday, Griffin got his triumphant moment as part of a Texans squad that blew out the Jaguars. After one incomplete pass near the Jacksonville sideline, the cornerback took a chance to chirp at his former teammates.
“I said, ‘I bet y’all miss me,'” Griffin told Lewis. “Some of it was talking trash, some of it was all love. Just had my fun little fun with it.”
Griffin recorded 10 tackles Sunday and Jaguars receivers Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk combined for 94 yards.
