Former Cowboys QB Announces Retirement From NFL

“Will Grier came back to his hometown team three months ago, but his comeback won’t continue into training camp,” Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt wrote on Wednesday. “The veteran quarterback has chosen to retire. The Panthers placed him on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday. The 31-year-old Grier was originally a third-round pick of the Panthers in 2019, and signed a one-year deal here before the draft. He has also spent time with the Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots, Chargers, Eagles, and the Cowboys again. He appeared in two regular-season games, both here during his rookie season. The move leaves the Panthers with just three quarterbacks heading into camp, which begins next week.”

Cowboys Released QB Will Grier in March

The Cowboys are trying to improve across the board in 2026 — even if that means in what seem like meaningless backup roles.

Just 2 days after signing a former 17-game starter to compete to be quarterback Dak Prescott‘s backup in Sam Howell, the Cowboys parted ways with Grier on March 11.

The Cowboys’ quarterback room is now Prescott, Howell and Joe Milton.

“The Cowboys are back down to 3 QBs with the release of Will Grier,” NFL reporter Tom Downey wrote on his official X account. 

Grier, 31, spent 4 seasons with the Cowboys in 2 separate stints in 2021 and 2022 then 2024 and 2025.

“With the addition of Sam Howell, the Cowboys released Will Grier,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on X. “He spent last year on the practice squad and was re-signed to a futures deal in January. Back to three QBs on the roster.”

Will Grier Seemed Like Trade Bait in 2025

The Cowboys may have been able to part ways with Grier in exchange for a draft pick at some point last season, and  Bleacher Report’s Mo Moton predicted it would happen before the trade deadline.

“In April, the Dallas Cowboys acquired big-armed Joe Milton III from the New England Patriots, which means Will Grier could fall to third on their quarterback depth chart,” Moton wrote on August 9. ” … Grier has put together solid preseason outings in recent years. Now, he can showcase himself to draw interest from other teams that see him as a No. 2 quarterback.”

Grier set the national high school record with 837 passing yards in a single game as a senior at Davidson Day School in Davidson, North Carolina, before starting his college career at Florida.

Grier, 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, started as a redshirt freshman at Florida before he was suspended for one season for using performance-enhancing drugs. He transferred to West Virginia, where he was the starter for 2 years. Grier was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and All-Big 12 in 2018 after he threw for 3,864 yards, 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Grier was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (No. 100 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. He spent 2 seasons with the Panthers, 2 seasons with the Cowboys in 2021 and 2022 before spending time with the Los Angeles Chargers, Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles over the last 2 years.

Grier made his only 2 career starts as a rookie in 2019, going 0-2 with 228 passing yards, no touchdowns and 4 interceptions.