Zach Edwards is back: Paris Musketeers quarterback returns with family feeling and championship ambitions

After one year away from football, Zach Edwards is officially back in Europe. The quarterback of the Paris Musketeers used the 2025 season away from the game to spend time with family and friends back home in Minnesota. But even during his break from professional football, the sport itself never completely disappeared from his life.

“You know, I spent a lot of time with family and friends because over the last four seasons there really wasn’t much time for that,” Edwards explained. During his year in the United States, the veteran quarterback also worked as Offensive Coordinator for a high school football team in Minnesota and continued training quarterbacks in the area. “Football was never really gone from my life,” said Edwards. Still, after a year away from the field, the excitement surrounding his return to Europe is enormous.

For many fans, Zach Edwards remains one of the most entertaining quarterbacks European football has seen in recent years. The now 32 year old enters the new EFA season with nearly 12,000 passing yards in his European career. In fact, Edwards currently needs only eight more passing yards to officially reach the 12,000 yard milestone. Asked about it, the quarterback laughed immediately. “Yeah, exactly. Hopefully I get that done in one drive,” Edwards joked.

The return to Paris also comes with major changes inside the organization. Most notably, former NFL Head Coach Jack Del Rio now leads the Paris Musketeers. For Edwards, working with such an experienced coach is already becoming one of the highlights of the season.

“Oh, it’s awesome,” Edwards said about the new Head Coach. “Just going against his defense every day in practice is really fun.” According to the quarterback, Del Rio brings an enormous amount of experience and knowledge into the building. Edwards is trying to absorb as much information as possible from the longtime NFL coach. “Maybe it’ll make me a better quarterback too,” the Paris Musketeers signal caller explained.

As team practices officially began, Edwards described the atmosphere inside the Paris Musketeers locker room as emotional and special. For the quarterback, returning to Paris feels much bigger than simply reporting back for another season.

“It feels like the family is back together,” Edwards explained. “I love these guys.” Seeing familiar faces again while also welcoming new teammates into the organization has made the first weeks especially meaningful for him. According to Edwards, the team is not only reconnecting but also building something completely new together for the 2026 season.

Looking at the new EFA, Edwards expects one of the most competitive seasons European football has seen in years. Unlike previous seasons, the veteran quarterback does not see one clear favorite entering the league. “I think it’s really hard to say right now,” Edwards explained. “Every team looks really good, so I expect a battle every single week.”

Still, Edwards specifically mentioned two teams that stand out to him early on. He believes the Munich Ravens will continue building on their strong 2025 season, while Nordic Storm also look extremely dangerous after bringing back Glenn Toonga and adding new pieces around Jadrian Clark. At the same time, Edwards refused to count any team out of the championship race. “Prague has a great team, Raiders Tirol as well, and so do we,” the quarterback said. Overall, Edwards expects a highly competitive season from top to bottom.

For the Paris Musketeers, the return of Zach Edwards brings far more than just statistics and experience. It also brings leadership, chemistry, and familiarity to one of the league’s most talented rosters. And after a year away from football, one thing has become very clear: Zach Edwards is back — and European football is probably better because of it.