CFL News & Rumors

QB P.J. Walker Lands CFL Deal

October 10th, 2024 at 6:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

P.J. Walker briefly spent time with the Seahawks this summer, but he did not land a roster spot. Now, the journeyman quarterback has turned his attention north of the border.

Walker signed with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders this week, per a team announcement. The 29-year-old has experience outside the NFL, having played with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2020, but this will be his first endeavor in Canada. Walker is open to any future NFL offers, but for the time being his attention will be turned to a potential starting role in Calgary.

“As long as the opportunities presented themselves in the NFL, I was always going to take those opportunities and — not saying they still can’t present themselves — but I really do want to play, I really do want to go out there and try to help the team win and contribute as much as I can,” Walker said (via John Hodge of 3 Down Nation). “I think that took a lot of the decision-making for me to come down here.”

The Temple product reunited with Matt Rhule by joining the Panthers in 2020 after the XFL folded. He made 15 appearances and seven starts across his three years in Carolina, throwing more than twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. Walker made a pair of starts last year with the Browns but his touchdown-to-interception ratio (1:5) remained poor. He is now positioned to have a brief audition period with Calgary in a bid to boost his value in either league.

The Toronto Argonauts originally held Walker’s negotiating rights and made a contract offer, Hodge reports. That was turned down given the presence of Chad Kelly, Toronto’s starter and reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player. Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said Calgary recently traded for Walker’s rights, setting up this signing as a potential commitment beyond the current campaign.

Three weeks remain in the CFL’s regular season, and the 4-10-1 Stampeders have been eliminated from playoff contention. Jake Maier – who entered the year as the team’s starter but who has been benched on multiple occasions – is a pending free agent, meaning a 2025 roster spot could be available to Walker if he impresses over the coming weeks. The former UDFA is currently on Calgary’s practice squad, and Dickinson did not make any assurances with respect to playing time once he acclimates to his new team. If Walker does manage to see the field, though, he could play his way into a gig for next season.

QB Notes: Broncos, Mahomes, Lance

June 24th, 2024 at 3:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

By selecting Bo Nix 12th overall, Sean Payton and the Broncos added a potential franchise quarterback. Whether or not the uber-experienced college passer takes on starting duties as a rookie remains to be seen, though.

Denver used a rotation of Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson with the first-team offseason during spring practices. A report from earlier this month pointed to Nix being the favorite despite Stidham’s familiarity with Payton’s scheme. On that note, Troy Renck of the Denver Post confirms Nix “has ground to cover” relative to the 27-year-old who made two Broncos starts last season.

On the other hand, Payton has not been shy about praising Nix’s acclimation so far. The former Saints Super Bowl winner noted (via Renck’s colleague Parker Gabriel) the Oregon alum’s performances so far have matched the team’s expectations based on their pre-draft evaluations. As Renck adds, Nix could very well wind up getting the nod for Week 1. That would turn attention from Stidham’s perspective to a competition with Wilson for the QB2 gig.

Here are some other quarterback notes:

The top priority for NFL teams during this part of the year is having players avoid non-football injuries. As a result, the contracts of several players list specific activities which are deemed off-limits. In the case of Patrick Mahomes, that list includes basketball. The three-time Chiefs Super Bowl MVP would have the guarantees in his deal voided if he were to be injured playing basketball, as detailed by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Mahomes’ monster extension was restructured again in March to create cap space, but it still runs through 2031. Plenty of rolling guarantees (in terms of both salary and bonuses) remain on the contract, giving him ample reason to play things safe.
Trey Lance is on the books with the Cowboys for one more season, with the team having made the unsurprising decision of declining his fifth-year option. The former 49ers top-three pick did not play last year, and it remains to be seen if he will serve as Dak Prescott‘s backup. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes Lance is likely still behind Cooper Rush on the depth chart. The latter has made 26 appearances and six starts for Dallas, and he has one year remaining on his deal. With both Rush and Lance set to reach free agency next spring, their respective training camp and preseason performances will be key in determining the pecking order.
Taulia Tagovailoa‘s pro football career will begin north of the border. The CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Tua Tagovailoa‘s younger brother signed with the team. Taulia began his college tenure at Alabama, but he transferred to Maryland and enjoyed a successful four-year run there. Tagovailoa, 24, broke the Big Ten’s all-time records for passing yards (11,265) and completion percentage (67.1%) with the Terrapins before going undrafted into the NFL this year. He received a look from the Seahawks and Cardinals during their minicamps, but his attention will now turn to earning playing time in Hamilton.

Lions Sign DL Mathieu Betts To Reserve/Futures Deal

February 13th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions have signed a CFL standout to a reserve/futures deal. Justin Dunk of 3DownNation reports that Detroit has signed defensive lineman Mathieu Betts to a futures deal. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has confirmed the signing.

Betts won the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award this past season while playing for the BC Lions. He finished the season with 44 tackles, three forced fumbles, and 18 sacks, with that latter mark being the most by a Canadian-born player in CFL history.

The 28-year-old defensive lineman has spent the past four seasons in the CFL, including a stint with Edmonton. He’s collected 27 sacks during his professional career, the majority of which have come over the past two years.

The Laval University product went undrafted in the 2019 draft. He caught on with the Bears for the preseason but was among Chicago’s final cuts.

WRs Malachi Wideman, Milton Wright To Work Out For NFL Teams

July 12th, 2023 at 11:18am CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s first supplemental draft since 2019 ended without a team using a selection. As a result, the two wide receivers in the draft — Malachi Wideman (Jackson State) and Milton Wright (Purdue) — are unrestricted free agents.

Both players intend to work out for teams soon. Wright has already secured workout opportunities with teams, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who notes these auditions will take place when teams report to training camp later this month (Twitter link). Wideman is also in the process of scheduling workouts with teams, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adding auditions will be on tap for the former Division I-FCS wide receiver (Twitter link).

Purdue rostered Rondale Moore and David Bell during Wright’s career. With Moore on the Cardinals by 2021, Wright established new career-high marks in receptions (57), receiving yards (732) and touchdowns (seven) during his junior season alongside Bell. A former four-star Tennessee recruit who later transferred to the then-Deion Sanders-led program, Wideman totaled 34 receptions for 540 yards during his lone season in uniform for Jackson State. Wideman caught 12 touchdown passes that year. Both Wright and Wideman were declared academically ineligible for the 2022 season, leading to their supplemental draft avenues.

Wideman, who already held a pro day earlier this summer, is on tap to continue his career soon. The CFL and XFL have offered safety nets for the 6-foot-5 wideout. The San Antonio Brahmas obtained Wideman’s rights and offered him a contract, per Wilson, who adds the free agent pass catcher also has a CFL offer in hand (Twitter link). That offer looks to have come from the Calgary Stampeders, whom Wilson notes have acquired Wideman’s rights.

Prior to this week, the supplemental draft had not been held since 2019. The event’s star power of the 1980s and ’90s, when the likes of Bernie Kosar, Cris Carter and Rob Moore were selected in the summer draft, has long faded. But the Cardinals did land eventual safety starter Jalen Thompson in July 2019. After not being chosen, Wideman and Wright will attempt to catch on with teams soon.

Workout Rumors: Rourke, Davidson

December 9th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Canadian Football League quarterback Nathan Rourke is in the midst of a bit of a free agency tour, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Shortly after Rourke’s BC Lions were knocked out of the playoffs in mid-November, the 24-year-old announced that he was in communication with a number of NFL teams in regard to scheduling workouts.

Rourke played three years of college ball at Ohio after transferring from Fort Scott Community College. As a starter for all three years, Rourke was one of the country’s most electric dual-threat quarterbacks. He improved each year as a passer, finishing with a career total of 7,457 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. His consistency as a runner is uncanny. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, Rourke ran the ball 137, 134, and 154 times respectively, for 912, 860, and 867 yards respectively. Over the three seasons he ran for 2,034 yards and 49 touchdowns. That’s 9,511 yards of total offense and 111 total touchdowns, when you include the two receiving touchdowns he had as a Bobcat.

Rourke went undrafted by the NFL but was the highest drafted quarterback for the CFL in almost 20 years. A rough first season in British Columbia saw Rourke serve mainly as a backup, only starting two games, and making some mistakes early in his career. He only threw three touchdowns to five interceptions, although he was able to add five touchdowns on the ground, as well. In his second year with the team, during the league’s 2022 season, Rourke became a full-time starter. In nine starts, Rourke completed 78.7-percent of his passes for 3,349 yards while throwing 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He also added 304 yards and seven touchdowns with his legs.

After the Lions’ season ended with a third loss in four matchups this year against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a few NFL teams reached out to the athletic quarterback. Rourke reportedly met with the Raiders last week, the Jaguars on Monday, and the Broncos on Tuesday.

Seeing as all three of those teams are set with starting quarterbacks on fairly recent deals, it’s worth point out that Rourke did audition for the Giants at wide receiver just prior to the CFL’s 2021 season. It’s also worth pointing out that the XFL has produced some NFL quarterbacks with limited success lately. Both Commanders backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke and Panthers backup quarterback P.J. Walker have earned playing time with their respective squads. Heinicke, who started most of the 2021 NFL season for Washington, took over the starting job this year for an injured Carson Wentz and has gone on to win five of his seven starts for the team. Walker took over the starting job for an injured Baker Mayfield before suffering an injury of his own.

This opens the door for the league to look outside of the traditional talent pools for a player as important as the backup quarterback. To say Rourke would be an upgrade over Jarrett Stidham, C.J. Beathard, or Brett Rypien is no guarantee, but it may be worth taking a look at the mobile, young quarterback.

Here’s another workout rumor about a very recent second-round pick who was recently released:

Former Falcons defensive lineman Marlon Davidson visited the 49ers this week, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Through two and a half seasons in the league, Davidson has played in 19 games, only starting one. He’s only recorded one sack but has a fumble recovery and a 3-yard pick six off of Tom Brady to his ledger. Davidson has yet to play this season after being placed on injured reserve following arthroscopic knee surgery and was released in late October. Securing a visit with San Francisco may indicate that he’s healthy enough to find his way back to the field now.

NFL Workouts: Rourke, Scarlett

November 18th, 2022 at 9:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

A notable name from north of the border will begin NFL workouts next week. Nathan Rourke, the standout quarterback of the British Columbia Lions, has multiple visits set up, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old had a highly productive career at Ohio University, where he threw for 7,457 yards and 60 touchdowns in three seasons. He displayed a dual-threat skillset as well, adding 2,634 yards and 49 touchdowns on the ground. That set the stage for his impressive first season as the Lions’ starter in 2022.

Taking on the No. 1 role for his hometown team, Rourke set an all-time CFL record for completion percentage in a season (78.7%) while leading the team to an 8-1 record to begin the year. A foot injury stalled his campaign, limiting him to just 10 regular season contests, though he did return in time for the playoffs. Overall, the 6-2, 210-pounder finished the year with 3,349 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He rushed for 304 yards and another seven touchdowns, leading to Most Outstanding Canadian honors at this week’s league awards ceremony.

Veteran CFL reporter Farhan Lalji notes that Rourke will begin workouts on Nov. 21, and that more than two dozen NFL teams have expressed interest in him. His ongoing recovery to full health will require a follow-up surgery and prevent him for participating in certain drills, however (Twitter links). Rourke will be seeking an opportunity to compete for an NFL backup role during the spring.

While he attempts to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Warren Moon, Joe Theismann and Doug Flutie in making the CFL-to-NFL jump, here is one other workout note from the NFL this week:

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that veteran linebacker Brennan Scarlett will be visiting the Dolphins for a workout, one which could result in a practice squad deal. The 29-year-old played 13 games for Miami last year, after spending five seasons in Houston. He primarily played on special teams, and originally re-signed with the Dolphins this offseason before being released with an injury settlement in September. Now healthy, he could provide depth in the front seven as Miami enters the second half of the campaign.

Latest On FA OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

July 16th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif remains a free agent in the NFL, but an important transaction recently took place north of the border which could affect his future. The CFL’s Montreal Alouettes – his hometown team – acquired his rights in that league, per a club announcement.

“We are happy to have proceeded with this transaction,” general manager Danny Maciocia said after the Alouettes traded for Duvernay-Tardif’s rights. “Laurent is a football icon in Montreal and Quebec.”

Last month, the 31-year-old made it clear that he would once again shift his focus to medicine this summer, something he did when he opted out of the 2020 campaign to attend to COVID-19 patients. He returned to the Chiefs last season, with whom he made consecutive Super Bowl appearances the two prior seasons he played in. As a pending free agent who had been supplanted as a starter at the right guard spot, though, he was traded to the Jets midseason.

“I’m going to prioritize medicine… and we’ll see in September if there’s a fit,” the former sixth-rounder said when explaining his decision, which did not constitute a retirement announcement. He added, “I’m really comfortable with the risk, and I’m pretty confident there’s going to be an offer on the table in September if I want it. And if I want it I’ll take it.”

A return to New York is unlikely for Duvernay-Tardif, as the Jets added Laken Tomlinson in free agency to pair with Alijah Vera-Tucker as the team’s starting guards. While his NFL suitors could be few and far between at this point in free agency, he would be welcomed back home in the CFL.

“We wish him the best success with his football career moving forward, and are satisfied knowing that if he does play in Canada, he will do so in a city and a stadium that he knows very well,” Maciocia added. “He would also finally be able to wear the letters M.D. on the back of his jersey like he has been wanting to do.”

If Duvernay-Tardif were to wait until September to make a decision, and no satisfactory NFL offers arrive, he could join the Alouettes midway through the CFL campaign, which runs until mid-November.

Extra Points: Newton, Patriots, Williams, Bears, XFL

July 11th, 2021 at 9:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It was widely known that Patriots quarterback Cam Newton wasn’t his self physically during his last couple years with the Panthers. But he recently revealed just how bad his health situation was. In a video he just posted this past week (that was recorded in September of 2020), Newton said he hadn’t felt good in years, via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. “Last time I’ve been healthy?” Newton said. “Honest, 2016.”

“I threw an interception,” Newton explained, describing the shoulder injury he first suffered in December of 2016. “I tried to go make the tackle, and I tried to push him out, and I extended my arm, and I messed up my AC joint. And ever since then, there’s just been a part of me that’s just been a wounded dog. Like a wounded lion almost. Just, ‘I’m not right.’ I feel good at times, but when I’m running I still feel it. So instead of running them over, I’m going to turn this shoulder and just go down.” Newton went on to say that he had felt like the shoulder finally healed ahead of his 2020 season with the Patriots. Obviously that season didn’t go how anybody around the team hoped for, and it’s curious timing as to why Newton posted this video now. He’s expected to battle it out with rookie Mac Jones for the starting job in training camp.

Here’s more from around the football universe as we wrap up a sleepy Sunday:

Damien Williams was a hero in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV win, but he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and his mother having cancer. He was then released by Kansas City back in March, and promptly signed with the Bears within 10 days. It sounds like he knew exactly where he wanted to go, as Larry Mayer of the team’s official site passes along. “Sitting out a year and then coming back, I really didn’t want to learn a whole new system,” Williams said. “Coming here and kind of having the same system, same plays, it was easy for me.” Williams was referring to the similarity in Matt Nagy’s offensive scheme to Andy Reid’s. Nagy, of course, is part of the ever-growing Reid coaching tree, and was an assistant under him from 2008 all the way until becoming Chicago’s head coach in 2018. Clearly the familiarity was important to Williams, who turned 29 in April. With David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen returning from an ACL tear, and now Williams, the Bears should have a solid backfield in 2021.
We heard this past week that the XFL and CFL would not be pursuing a potential partnership/merger. That doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of crossover talk. MLSE, the company that owns the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, was the “catalyst for the XFL discussion,” within the league, sources told Dan Ralph of the Toronto Star. Ralph highlights the Argonauts breaking off and joining the XFL for their spring 2023 season as a possible solution. It’d be interesting to see, and could serve as a potential test-run for the NFL one day playing games in Toronto, something that has long been talked about.

Kendall Wright Signs With CFL’s Toronto Argonauts

February 12th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Titans first-round pick Kendall Wright has signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Wright, 32 in November, signed his last NFL deal in 2018 when he had a cup of coffee with the Cardinals.

Wright, a 5’10” veteran receiver, does his best work out of the slot. The Titans used a first-round pick on the Baylor standout in 2012 and saw some promising results early on. In his second pro year, Wright tallied 1,079 yards and two touchdowns off of 94 grabs. But, after that, he never topped 1,000 yards in a season – or 800, for that matter. Despite the drop off, he did manage a career-best six touchdowns in 2014.

Wright’s last live NFL action came in 2017 with the Bears, but he’s been pushing for a return ever since. In that season, he was one of the Bears’ very few bright spots on offense as he racked up 59 catches for 614 yards.

In other Argos news, Toronto recently welcomed ex-Broncos first-rounder Shane Ray. Ray’s last regular season game came in 2018. After that, he inked a deal with the Ravens, but did not make their final cut in 2019.

Shane Ray Signs With Toronto Argonauts

February 6th, 2021 at 3:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former Broncos first-round pick Shane Ray will resurface in Canada. The CFL’s Toronto Argonauts signed the veteran pass rusher Saturday.

Ray has not played in a regular-season NFL game since his Broncos rookie contract expired in 2018. The Ravens signed Ray after the 2019 draft but ended up releasing him prior to the regular season, leading the Mizzou product to the in-season workout circuit. None of those auditions produced a contract.

The Broncos traded up for Ray in 2015, and he saw action for Denver’s dominant defense that season. Ray and Shaquil Barrett served as rotational rushers for the Broncos’ Super Bowl champion team, and the duo remained key Von Miller sidekicks through the 2018 season.

Ray notched eight sacks and 21 QB hits in 2016, a season in which DeMarcus Ware missed extensive time, and registered 14 sacks in four NFL slates. Barrett, however, has substantially improved his NFL standing since becoming a free agent in 2019. Ray, 27, could not find a similar launching pad but will attempt to do so in Toronto.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the CFL to cancel its 2020 season. The league is scheduled to resume play in June.

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