CFL 2025 Season
 

Continued from CFL 2024 Season

Canadian QB Taylor Elgersma drawing interest from NFL teams
Justin Dunk 3downnation.com January 20, 2025

Wilfrid Laurier University quarterback Taylor Elgersma is drawing interest from NFL talent evaluators.

Golden Hawks head coach Michael Faulds estimates five to 10 NFL teams have reached out to him about the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner, along with all nine CFL teams. He’s eligible to be selected in the 2025 NFL and CFL Drafts.

“Taylor’s actually more NFL pro-ready than CFL pro-ready. The way there’s been some politics around Canadian quarterbacks in the CFL, it might take NFL interest for the Canadian teams to have interest in him,” Faulds told 3DownNation.

“He’s six-foot-six, 225 pounds. When you think of Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Josh Allen, prototype NFL quarterbacks, that’s Taylor Elgersma. Most of us Canadian quarterbacks over the years have been six-foot-one to six-foot-three. This is the first time we have a legit NFL pro-type body with an NFL arm and he’s got what it takes between the ears.”

The London, Ont. native recently participated in two NFL-approved all-star events, interviewing with eight different franchises. At the College Gridiron Showcase in Fort Worth, Tex., Elgersma met with the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants, while missing out on a visit with the Buffalo Bills due to a scheduling conflict. At the Tropical Bowl’s Stardom Scrimmage in Orlando, Fla., he spoke with different representatives from the Dolphins and Giants, while interviewing with the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Chargers.

The Laurier star completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 4,011 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season, producing an 11-1 win-loss record as a starter. He carried the football 40 times for 223 yards and six scores to lead his team to a Vanier Cup appearance. Through four seasons at Laurier, he’s thrown for 10,230 yards, 76 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 39 games while rushing 122 times for 572 yards with 18 touchdowns.

Elgersma leads an impressive U Sports quarterback class which includes Laval’s Arnaud Desjardins, Western’s Evan Hillock, McMaster’s Keagan Hall, Manitoba’s Jackson Tachinski, and British Columbia’s Garrett Rooker. Faulds believes Tre Ford’s rise in the CFL can help other pivots coming from Canadian schools earn a legitimate shot in three-down pro football.

“Tre had an outstanding career at Waterloo. Because he was only trained in U Sports and him having success, that really does open it up. For the Canadian, U Sports-trained quarterbacks, Tre Ford really is the model of success — he paves the way. If Taylor can get drafted and have some success, then it really helps future quarterbacks,” Faulds said.

“There are more Canadian coaches and personnel people in the CFL now that have U Sports backgrounds. They’re realizing the quality of U Sports football has grown over the years. I think the transfer portal and NIL issues in the United States are going to hamper Canadians’ abilities to play south of the border, which will only increase the quality of U Sports football.”

Ford was selected in the first round, eighth overall during the 2022 CFL Draft. He received rookie mini-camp invites from the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens. Following his rookie CFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots worked him out. The ultra-athletic QB recently signed a three-year contract extension to be the Edmonton Elks’ starting quarterback.

Elgersma aims to earn similar opportunities while making his own path in the NFL or CFL.

A long while ago I posted that I had read somewhere (might have been MMQB) that an NFL coach had said the last 13 players cut were basically the same caliber as the last 13 players kept on an NFL roster. But I couldn't find my source to prove it.

Here we have former NFL player and TSN NFL analyst Luke Willson (32:17) saying much the same thing.

"The top ten guys on a CFL roster are probably interchangeable to some degree to the bottom ten on an NFL roster and guys argue that its more, it's less, you get the point"

3DownNation Podcast: Luke Willson explains why 2025 can be year of the CFL
Justin Dunk 3Down Staff January 29, 2025

Goooooo Riders!

The salary cap is up a decent amount.

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/cflpa-announc...-cap-1.2247219

Pumped about the team, ownership and organizational changes here in Edmonton.

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This will help:

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/03/elks-s...ear-extension/

Not just interchangeable but in some cases better athletes just more suited to the Canadian game.

I saw the Tim Hortons signs had been removed from the stadium here in Hamilton - wonder how long before we find out the new name of the Tiger-Cats' home?

Good timing for those players seeking new contracts.

Yep. And it's not always possible to know who will succeed in one form of the game but not the other.

Some have done quite well in both (e.g., Cam Wake)

True, it usually wasn't the star player who went back to the NFL. Often it was a lesser known D-lineman. Of course there are many exceptions: Alex Singleton comes to mind, as does this blast from the past Swervin' Mervyn Fernandez and Warren Moon.

I was tempted to mention Doug Flutie but despite his "success" during his second round with the NFL he still wasn't used to full effect.

I think you could use Flutie's own theory to explain that. "Big school, big body"

It's not as true as it once was but it is still pretty important. Of the U Sports players that get invited to NFL camps most of them are physical "freaks" so to speak.

I was when I saw Chris Morris get hired then have to say I died quite a bit when I saw the next hirings.

I haven't forgotten when Hervey shat on Simeon Rottier and Canadian players in general and was then made to look like a fool when Rottier was lineman of the year, the next season IIRC. That post is on this site somewhere.

I don't know about Mark Kilam either. I would have thought the time for him to make the step to an HC was several years ago. I'm not sure I like the idea of a rookie HC for the Elks or Double EEs just when they are finally straightening the course.

I haven't seen anything lately about the team branding transitioning to call the team the Double EEs.

When I saw the picture all I could think of was Chris Elliot.

I know very little about him, but a pretty puffy piece on him. I think he's got some skills that can be used to forward the CFL and maybe with the current political climate we'll see better numbers for TV viewership than years past. I'm pretty worried about the gate receipts this year given how uncertain the economy and jobs are at present.

I know it might not be the most popular thing to say at the moment, and I'm not even a fan of American football, but I still think it's a shame the XFL-CFL merger that was floated during covid never happened... it had the potential to be a major game changer, and it would have been interesting to see "Rider Nation" get more international recognition.

I worked with his brother for seven years. I've seen the new commish on TV a couple of times and can say he's very different than his brother.

I used to give his brother some feedback and ask him to pass it on regarding TSN's garbage website, but it's still garbage. Anyway, that wasn't his domain.

That coworker occasionally got hookups for tickets and he invited me to the Leafs, Wings game at BMO. I haven't gone to an Argos game at BMO yet due to being busy and also the game times. I should reach out to that former coworker again and maybe I can get some field level tickets out of this.

Lions get bit big, while Stamps benefit big

http://https://www.tsn.ca/video/lalji-on-cfl-salary-cap-penalties-lions-get-bit-big-while-stamps~3106686

You must be aware that every single NFL wannabe football league in the US since the AFL /NFL merger in 1970 has failed. That includes:CFL (Continental Football League)/ WLAF/UFL 2x/USFL 2x/WFL 2x/XFL to name a few.

Thankfully, despite the ravages of the Covid era, the BOG was able to keep their head annd unanimously vote down the proposal 7-2. One of the assenting votes (to no one's surprise) came from the Argos (MLSE) who were lectured by a successful rookie owner (Doman) to start putting some effort into marketing the team

Edit: I have to correct myself, the Continental Football League was in the 60s and if I allow myself to include another failed league against the NFL there was the All American Football Conference in the 40s. The league failed but it did have three of its teams move to the NFL.

While we're in the 40s two more leagues failed. There was yet another version of the USFL and the Trans-America Football League neither of which even made the field.