Will Grier has decided to hang up his cleats, and Cowboys fans are already wondering if it means he’s coming back to Dallas for a third stint.
The 31-year-old quarterback, who was a backup with the Cowboys for the 2021 and 2022 seasons and then returned in late 2024 and stayed for for the 2025 season, has announced his retirement from playing. Grier had previously decided in June to sign with Carolina, his hometown team, who originally drafted him out of West Virginia in 2019.
That would-be return to the Panthers reportedly came after the Cowboys tried to hire Grier to their coaching staff for an unspecified position. Grier’s father, a successful high school coach in North Carolina, even revealed that his son was leaning toward taking the job until the Panthers came calling.
Carolina placed Grier on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday.
It’s not known if Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer would still be interested in hiring Grier to the staff with just two weeks to go before the team’s first training camp practice in Oxnard, Calif.
Shortly after the news of Grier’s retirement broke, Cowboys starting QB Dak Prescott offered a congratulatory note on social media. The picture he posted of them together during pregame warmups also included the cryptic caption, “Never Retired, just switching lanes.”
Grier clearly impressed the organization during his time in Dallas and said he and his family still planned to live in Dallas during the offseason. He has remained close friends with Prescott and several Cowboys players, even acting as the officiant at the wedding of tight end Jake Ferguson last month- well after he signed to return to the Panthers.
Seven years as an NFL quarterback. One day as an ordained minister. Could a new job on the Cowboys coaching staff now be in the works for Grier?
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Panthers’ Will Grier retires; is Cowboys staff job next for former backup QB?
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
