Surprise Retirement in the NFL

Will Grier's NFL career is officially over.

The Carolina Panthers have confirmed that the 31-year-old quarterback has decided to end his professional career, just a few months after returning to the organization that drafted him in 2019.

Selected in the third round of the NFL Draft, Grier entered the league with high expectations following a stellar college career at West Virginia. Despite his potential, he never managed to establish himself as a permanent starting quarterback at the highest level.

Over the course of his seven seasons in the NFL, Will Grier played for several teams, including the Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Cincinnati Bengals, the New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Philadelphia Eagles. For the most part, however, his role was limited to that of a backup or a member of the practice squad.

His only regular-season starts date back to his rookie season in 2019 with Carolina, where he made two starts late in the season.

A career marked by a brilliant college career

Before making the leap to the pros, Will Grier had established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. After a stint at the University of Florida, he continued his career at West Virginia, where he had an exceptional season in 2018.

That year, he completed 67% of his passes for 3,864 yards and 37 touchdown passes, finishing fourth in the prestigious Heisman Trophy voting. These performances made him one of the most promising prospects of his draft class.

Although his college success never fully translated to the NFL, Grier continued to showcase his talent in several preseason games, notably in 2023 with the Cowboys, where he delivered a standout performance.

His departure now leaves the Panthers with Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, and rookie Haynes King at the quarterback position. For Will Grier, this retirement marks the end of a professional career filled with challenges, but also the beginning of a new chapter that could eventually bring him back to the world of football, possibly as a coach.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.