RG3 Jerseys Are Cheap Right Now — Which Version Should You Actually Buy?

I spent a whole Saturday scrolling through resale listings trying to decide whether an RG3 jersey was worth the money, and I bought one anyway. Now that I've worn it, washed it, and squinted at the stitching like some kind of textile detective, I've got opinions worth sharing.

Quick refresher, in case you blocked out how loud that rookie season was: Robert Griffin III went second overall in 2012, won Offensive Rookie of the Year, and made Washington's offense look like a track meet for about four months. Then came the knee, the ankle, the coaching churn, and the release. His run as a starter was short. The supply of his gear on the secondhand market is not.

Here's what makes his stuff a little unusual in the jersey world — 2012 was Nike's first season as the NFL's official uniform supplier, so almost everything with his name on it comes from that one era of Nike production. You're basically picking between three tiers:

• Game — screen-printed numbers, lightest fabric, cheapest, and the version you'll trip over in most clearance piles
• Limited — stitched numbers, heavier body, my pick if you actually plan to wear it out
• Elite — the on-field cut, snug through the chest and shoulders, overkill unless you want the closest thing to what he wore

Sizing is where people get burned. Nike jerseys run roomy. I'm 5'10" and about 170, and a medium Game fits with the shoulders drooping just a bit and the hem landing below the hip — exactly the loose look I wanted. Limited runs trimmer in the same size, so if you like breathing room, go up one. Don't assume your t-shirt size translates.

Which sounds simple until you're staring at three tabs and asking yourself the obvious question: RG3 jerseys are cheap right now — which version should you actually buy? My answer is the Limited in burgundy. The home colorway is the one people picture when they think of that season, and the stitched twill holds up way better than the printed version after a dozen washes.

Speaking of which, take care of it. Turn it inside out, cold water, hang it to dry. Never let a printed jersey near a hot dryer unless you enjoy cracked, peeling numbers. Stitched ones are tougher, but the heat still wears on the fabric over time.

If you're buying secondhand, look at the jock tag inside the hem and the lettering on the nameplate. Real ones have clean, straight stitching and a tag that lists the year and manufacturer. Fakes usually have wobbly letter spacing and a tag that looks like it was printed at a kiosk. The price gap matters here — don't pay authentic money for a knockoff.

One last thing worth saying out loud. The team he played for doesn't even use that name anymore, which means a burgundy and gold number 10 is now a piece of a specific, closed chapter. If that's the chapter you want on your back, grab one while the prices are still soft. They're not making any more of them.