CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Quarterback Will Grier is returning home to the team that drafted him.
The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday they’ve agreed to terms on a contract with Grier, their third-round draft pick (100th overall) in 2019.
Grier gives the Panthers added depth at the position behind starter Bryce Young. He is expected to compete for the No. 2 spot with Kenny Pickett, who was signed earlier this offseason as a replacement for Andy Dalton.
Grier, who grew up and played high school football in the Charlotte area, started two games as a rookie for the Panthers but never panned out. He threw four interceptions with no touchdown passes. He was sacked six times and Carolina lost both games.
Grier also spent 2020 with the Panthers, but has bounced around the league in the four years since, serving mostly as a backup to Dak Prescott in Dallas. However, Grier has not thrown a pass or played in a game in the league since 2019.
Bears pick up Wright’s option
The Chicago Bears exercised their fifth-year option for 2027 on right tackle Darnell Wright’s rookie contract and will try to sign him to an extension, general manager Ryan Poles said on Tuesday.
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Wright was second-team All-Pro last season. He was a key player on a line that went from being one of the NFL’s worst in 2024 to one of the best, with guard Joe Thuney and now-retired center Drew Dalman earning Pro Bowl honors.
The Bears went 11-6 in winning their first NFC North championship since 2018. They advanced in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years by beating rival Green Bay in a wild-card game before losing in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
Garoppolo considering retirement
Jimmy Garoppolo is considering retirement, but the Los Angeles Rams are hoping he decides to return for another season as their backup quarterback.
The Rams also have made progress on another contract restructuring with AP NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, general manager Les Snead said Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Garoppolo has been Stafford’s backup for the past two seasons after spending the previous decade in New England, San Francisco — where he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and two NFC title games — and Las Vegas.
Garoppolo has played only 84 snaps for the Rams, with 66 of those in the 2024-25 regular-season finale when Stafford rested. Garoppolo hasn’t yet landed with another team to compete for a starting job, Snead acknowledged the quarterback is considering all of his options.
“Jimmy has always been priority No. 1 for the backup, so we’re letting him go through his process,” Snead said while speaking about the upcoming NFL draft, in which the Rams hold the 13th overall pick. “And then from there, we go to the next steps.”
Coach Sean McVay has repeatedly said over the past two years that Garoppolo should be an NFL starter, which means the Rams have always had ideas on how to proceed if Garoppolo left.
“Wanted to be able to give him his time,” McVay said. “He knows that he’s a really important part of what we want to do. Hopeful that the contemplation is (just) that, and that when the time is right, he’ll change his mind.”
