Former Dallas Cowboys EDGE Lobbies for NFL Comeback With Team

A former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher is looking to return to the league after not having played a snap in the NFL since 2021.

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Everson Griffen. | USA TODAY Sports

Former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Everson Griffen hasn't played a snap in the NFL since 2021, but he still has a desire to make a comeback. Talent was never the issue with Griffen, who is now 38 years old. Instead, battles with substance, mental health, and legal issues over the years derailed his career.

But Griffen believes he's a changed man now after being sober for one year and he told Josina Anderson on "The Exhibit" podcast that he wants another shot in the league.

“My desire is to play again," Griffen said. "I know the things that I’ve done; I’ve burnt bridges, but I feel like that’s reparable... You don’t have to worry about me going back to using again."

Griffen specifically lobbied Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to bring him back.

"This is the best version of myself you're gonna get, 38, that's all," Griffen said of his message to Jones. "I know what I can do. You put me through a workout, I can show you."

4x-Pro Bowl DE Everson Griffen says he wants an NFL comeback:

“My desire is to play again...I know the things that I’ve done; I’ve burnt bridges, but I feel like that’s reparable..You don’t have to worry about me going back to using again..”

FULL YT VID: https://t.co/cuoebZs9DV pic.twitter.com/NtPFihXeMF

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) July 26, 2026

Griffen added that he needs "two-and-a-half months" to get back into shape and is willing to take a drug test to prove his sobriety.

Griffen played in seven games for the Cowboys during the 2020 season after signing with the team in free agency and tallied 2.5 sacks in that span.

Dallas ended up trading Griffen to the Detroit Lions in October of that year for a sixth-round pick that turned into Quinton Bohanna.

Will Everson Griffen get another chance?

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen. | USA TODAY Sports

It's hard to imagine Griffen getting another opportunity in the NFL.

For starters, he has been out of the NFL so long that he's almost eligible for the Hall of Fame. Griffen's last snap came in 2021 with the Minnesota Vikings and that long of a gap in and of itself will make it extremely difficult for him to come back.

Then, there's Griffen's most recent run-ins with the law, which will obviously give teams further pause considering his lengthy history of legal issues.

On July 23, the former edge rusher was pulled over for speeding and was arrested after it was discovered he was driving without the ignition-interlock device that he is required to have in his vehicle as part of his restricted license.

The arrest came while Griffen is on a four-year probation term stemming from a 2023 arrest in which he was accused of driving while intoxicated. Griffen later plead guilty to reckless driving, which dismissed the DWI charge.

He was also cited for reckless driving last November after he was pulled over for going 130 mph in a 60 mph zone, and in July 2025 he was arrested on a probation violation after he "failed to abstain from alcohol or drugs, and failed to comply with random drug testing," per Community Corrections and Rehabilitation.