10:12am: Sam will earn $100K in 2015 and $150K in 2016, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), who notes that this is above the usual rate for CFL rookies ($51K).
9:45am: After failing to catch on with any NFL teams, Michael Sam will head north to the Canadian Football League, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the edge defender is signing with the Montreal Alouettes. The club has since confirmed the move.
“With the signing of Michael Sam, we have become a better organization today,” said Alouettes general manager Jim Popp. “Not only have we added an outstanding football player, we have added even a better person that brings dignity, character, and heart to our team.”
The first openly gay player to be selected in the NFL draft (in 2014), Sam spent time with the Rams but didn’t make the team’s regular season roster, despite recording three sacks during the preseason. While he later joined the Cowboys’ practice squad, Sam didn’t earn a call-up to Dallas’ 53-man roster either, and had been on the free agent market for several months.
According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links), the Alouettes – who held the CFL rights to Sam – have had an offer on the table to the Missouri product for a few months. With training camp around the corner, Sam has opted to sign the deal, which is a one-year pact with a team option for 2016.