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Former Cowboys QB joins Dallas coaching staff for 2026 season
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- Former Cowboys QB joins Dallas coaching staff for 2026 season
Will Grier retired on July 15 after playing quarterback across seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers , Dallas Cowboys , Cincinnati Bengals , New England Patriots , Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles .
It didn't take the 31-year-old long to begin the next chapter of his NFL career.
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Grier is set to join the Cowboys coaching staff for the 2026 season as an offensive assistant, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
Grier joining Dallas' coaching staff isn't much of a surprise. The 2019 third-round pick was offered a position on Brian Schottenheimer's staff after spending the 2025 NFL season on the Cowboys' practice squad, according to multiple reports.
Grier initially declined and joined the Panthers in free agency just ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. The expectation was the 31-year-old would battle undrafted rookie Haynes King for the third-string role behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett .
Instead, Grier reversed course in advance of Carolina's first training camp practice. But even after retiring, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott hinted his former teammate could soon join Dallas' coaching staff with a post to his Instagram story.
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"Never retired, just switching lanes," Prescott wrote over a photo of himself and Grier. "Congrats, my brother."
Now, Grier will join the ever-growing pipeline of former NFL quarterbacks among the league's coaching rankings.
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Will Grier stats from NFL career
Grier made just two starts during his NFL career, both coming during his rookie season in 2019 with the Panthers. Grier completed 28 of 52 passes (53.8%) for 228 yards and four interceptions, good for a 33.2 passer rating.
Will Grier career earnings
Grier finished his career having earned just over $4.9 million, per Spotrac.com . Most of Grier's money came via the four-year, $3.85 million rookie contract he signed with the Panthers after being selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Cowboys QB joins Dallas coaching staff for 2026 season
