Will Grier Retires at Age 31 After 7 NFL Seasons with Cowboys, Panthers, More

Quarterback Will Grier is retiring after spending the last seven years as a backup for six different NFL organizations.

The Carolina Panthers announced the news Wednesday after signing Grier just after his 31st birthday in April.

The former West Virginia star was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Panthers. He made two regular-season starts in 2019.

The quarterback also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles during his NFL career.

Grier began the offseason on the Cowboys' roster before he was released in March.

His father, Chad Grier, told The Athletic's Joseph Person Grier considered taking a role on Brian Schottenheimer's coaching staff before he got the chance to re-sign with the Panthers.

Grier started his college career at Florida in 2015 before transferring to West Virginia for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

The quarterback led West Virginia to an 8-4 record and established himself as one of the best players in Mountaineers history during his senior 2018 campaign with the program.

He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish for a West Virginia player in 12 years, while completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,864 passing yards and 27 touchdowns.

That allowed Grier to rank second in the nation in passing touchdowns per game and third in passing yards per game prior to entering the 2019 NFL draft.

Grier went into his rookie season behind Kyle Allen and Cam Newton in the Panthers' depth chart. He made his NFL regular-season debut by starting a 38-6 loss at the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 of the 2019 season.

The quarterback also started the Colts' Week 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints before Allen closed out the game.

Grier was released by the Panthers ahead of the 2021 season and spent the remainder of his NFL career as either a practice squad member or backup.

He appeared in 17 total preseason games over that span for the Panthers, Cowboys and Eagles.

One of his best NFL preseason performances came ahead of the 2023 season, when he went 29-for-35 with 305 passing yards and four total touchdowns while playing the entirety of a preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Grier was placed on the reserve/retired list Wednesday in the wake of the news, according to the Panthers.

His retirement leaves the Panthers with three quarterbacks on the roster, including Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett and undrafted rookie Haynes King.

With Pickett slated to back up Young this fall, King could get more playing time when the Panthers' preseason slate begins Aug. 6 with the Hall of Fame Game against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton.