Stampeders lose backup QB as P.J. Walker decides to ‘step away’ after 9-year pro career

Calgary Stampeders quarterback P.J. Walker (2) looks for a pass while taking on the Ottawa Redblacks during first half CFL football action in Ottawa on Thursday, July 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Calgary Stampeders need a new backup quarterback.

Former NFL starter P.J. Walker informed the club Thursday that he has decided to step away from football after nine years as a pro.

Walker served as a backup to Vernon Adams Jr. for 13 games in 2025, in addition to starting Game 9 in Ottawa.

Walker played 21 NFL games between 2020 and 2023, starting nine with the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns.

He completed 185 of 339 passes for 2,135 yards and threw for six touchdowns, in addition to rushing 31 times for 80 yards.

He was one of the quarterbacks who stepped up in 2023 in Cleveland when starter Deshaun Watson was lost to injury, helping the Browns win a playoff spot.

He’s also a graduate of Temple University, the same school that Stampeders legend Henry Burris played quarterback for.

He started 47 games at Temple and finished his college career as the school’s all-time completion leader (830), as well as passing yards (10,668) and touchdowns (74).

Walker also had a stint with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks, who were 5-0 in 2020 when the season was cancelled due to the pandemic. At the time, he led the league with 1,338 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.

After leaving the Browns, Walker signed with the Seattle Seahawks but was released just prior to the start of the 2024-25 season.

The Stampeders also announced that linebacker Nicky Farinaccio and defensive backs Brady Breeze and Lance Robinson have retired.

Farinaccio, a ’25 fourth-round pick, had three defensive tackles and two special-teams stops in three games last season. Breeze joined the Stampers midway through last season and started one of the four games he appeared in while Robinson made starts in both of his ’25 appearances.

-- With files from CTV’s Glenn Campbell and The Canadian Press