Will Grier retired from the NFL at 31, but I have a hard time believing he’s done with football.
The Carolina Panthers placed him on the reserve/retired list after bringing him back on a one-year deal this offseason. We all know his playing career never turned into much, at least according to the stats column.
Grier had two regular-season appearances with no wins and a whole lot of bouncing around the league.
If history tells us anything about those types of players, they normally disappear without anybody saying much, but Will Grier is different.
Us Cowboys fans may remember him because of one preseason game, his relationship with Dak Prescott, and the fact Dallas reportedly wanted him to join Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching staff before he signed with Carolina.
I found that last part interesting.
Grier Went Out Firing
I still remember that 2023 preseason game against the Raiders. Do you remember it and the offseason that preceded it?
Dallas traded for Trey Lance the day before, and everybody knew Lance would be the backup to Dak Prescott. Will Grier was getting squeezed off the roster, and I think he knew it.
Instead of just giving up, he went out and completed 29 of 35 passes for 305 yards. He threw for two touchdowns, ran for two more, and finished with 53 yards on the ground.
His post-game interview after that game got emotional because he loved being in Dallas.
In that game, Dak was calling plays on the sideline and Grier was just letting it rip. Grier knew that was his last game in Dallas, and he left it all on the field.
He didn’t leave Dallas looking like a guy who had been pushed out. Grier was a professional to the end, and he made people remember him.
The Dak Connection Is the Real Story
Will Grier and Dak Prescott were close during their time together in Dallas.
These two spent a few years together and built a friendship on and off the field, and after Grier retired, Prescott said he wasn’t really retiring, just “Never Retired, just switching Lanes.”
I would say that sounds like a coaching opportunity incoming.
Let’s not make it complicated though. Dak doesn’t need another loud voice in his ear. He needs someone who knows how he prepares, understands what he is trying to get to at the line, and someone who can tell him when a problem keeps showing up.
Grier has been that guy already. He has watched Dak through bad practices, rough games, and protection issues. There is a comfort level between these two and that could be the difference between a good season and an MVP season.
What Job Would Will Grier Have?
Dallas reportedly offered Grier a coaching job before he signed with Carolina, but the role was never made public.
I doubt it was a major role.
We have Steve Shimko as the quarterbacks coach, and Ryan Feder also works with that group. While Will Grier has never coached before, there is no reason to hand him some dressed-up title and act like he’s ready to run a room at this point.
What the Cowboys could do is bring him in as an offensive assistant and keep most of his work around the quarterbacks.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him helping with film, third-down ideas, red-zone looks and whatever Dak Prescott needs during the week. Let him sit in meetings, work through the game plan, and learn what the job looks like from the coaching side of it.
If he does well, who knows after that? Maybe he can become an assistant quarterbacks coach.
I’m not trying to plan this man’s whole life after football, Dallas just feels like the place where he would like to be.
Dallas Should Circle Back to Will Grier
We all know Grier was never a star quarterback in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a good coach.
There are several coaches who have come from the back end of rosters, and those guys had to study, listen, and scratch around for every chance they got.
Will Grier knows what scratching around feels like as a journeyman quarterback, but the thing is, in Dallas, Dak trusts him and Schottenheimer reportedly wanted him in the building.
I would call him again and see where he stands.
His playing career may be over, but a coaching career as a Dallas Cowboy may be a new beginning.
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