'Grateful!' Cowboys Ex Randy Gregory Reflects on 49ers Super Bowl Path
San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Randy Gregory beat the odds.
On Sunday, Gregory will suit up for a chance to climb the mountain. His 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the pinnacle of a lifelong journey for so many coaches and players alike. All of the adversity, the doubts, and the criticism led each of them to Allegiant Stadium with the promise of football immortality just 60 minutes away.
The NFL season is a grueling marathon, a battle of attrition. Coming out on the other end victorious wouldn’t be Gregory’s most impressive journey.
“Sadly,'' Gregory said, "I’ve created a narrative about myself,”
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Randy Gregory (5) warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Gregory was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. A year later, he was suspended for the first four games after failing a drug test. He would fail another in September of 2016, and one more before the season concluded. He’d miss the entirety of the 2017 season.
His battles with addiction weren’t solved by the league’s substance abuse policy. He was suspended again in 2019 before being reinstated a year later. Determined to make it count – for good – Gregory found 9.5 sacks over the next two seasons, positioning himself well for free agency.
Gregory would depart for the Denver Broncos after initially agreeing to a five-year deal in Dallas. A clause allowing the Cowboys to collect bonuses in the event of a suspension - standard in the team's contracts but a sudden source of controversy to Gregory and his agent - would spoil the goodwill Dallas spent six years building.
“At this point,'' Gregory said, "a lot of people will either like me or don’t like me and have their reasons. I have a family that loves me and players and teammates and coaches that love me around this league, so I don’t get too tied up with that.”
Gregory’s stay in Denver would be as short as it was unsuccessful. Injuries took away parts of his 2022 season. By October of 2023, he was on the 49ers, cast away for a late-round pick swap. He found just three sacks with the Broncos.
At 31 years old, traded due to his ineffectiveness and long past the days of his second-round pedigree providing optimism, Gregory is still kicking. His perseverance has landed him on the biggest stage.
“But to be able to say I’ve gone through what I’ve gone through, and whether it be self-inflicted or not, I’ve been able to pick myself up and continue to the point where I’m here at the Super Bowl,” Gregory said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of being a football player, but something you can never really fathom and process.
“I’m grateful to be here.”
