What the Edmonton Elks paid their 2025 free-agent signings (& how they fit into the roster)

The Edmonton Elks were the CFL’s busiest team in free agency this year, adding over a dozen players and spending the most money of any team in the league. These figures were sourced by 3DownNation, many of which are being reported exclusively.

Robbie Smith is now the league’s highest-paid defensive player after joining the Green and Gold on a contract that will pay him $270,000 in hard money in 2025. The deal includes a $90,000 signing bonus and $20,000 in marketing money. The native of Brampton, Ont. can also earn an additional $6,000 if he reaches his all-star and awards incentives.

Tyrell Ford blew the doors off the defensive back market with a contract worth $230,000 in hard money this year. The native of Niagara Falls, Ont. got a $70,000 signing bonus to join his twin brother, Tre, in Edmonton and will earn $20,000 in marketing money. The contract is worth a maximum of $236,000 in 2025 if Ford reaches his all-star and awards incentives. For context, the highest-paid defensive back in the CFL in 2024 made only $165,000.

Defensive tackle Jake Ceresna will make $235,000 in hard money this year after turning down a larger offer from the Argonauts to remain in Toronto. The two-time All-CFL selection, who played for Edmonton from 2018 to 2023, got a $125,000 signing bonus and $10,000 in marketing money on his new deal.

David Beard signed back with his hometown team after a three-year stint in Hamilton on a contract worth $197,000 in hard money in 2025. The reigning All-CFL centre’s contract includes a $30,000 signing bonus and $20,000 in marketing money.

Veteran defensive back Royce Metchie signed with the Elks for $145,000, all of which is hard money. The three-time Grey Cup champion collected a $30,000 signing bonus to make the move from Toronto and will also earn $15,000 in marketing money and $8,000 as a travel allowance.

Brandon Barlow received a $65,000 signing bonus to join the Elks following his recent release from the Tiger-Cats. The defensive end’s deal is worth $160,000 in hard money plus another $15,000 in incentives, including $5,000 if he reaches 10 sacks and another $5,000 if he reaches 12 sacks.

Nose tackle Jared Brinkman will make $160,000 in hard money in 2025, earning a $45,000 signing bonus to move from Toronto to Edmonton. The contract also includes $10,000 in marketing money plus $7,000 in possible incentives, bringing the maximum value of the deal to $167,000.

Kaion Julien-Grant’s deal is worth $153,100 in hard money with a maximum possible value of $176,500. The former second-round pick collected a $17,500 signing bonus to join the Elks and will earn $10,000 in marketing money plus an $800 bonus each time he plays a regular-season game.

Defensive back Kobe Williams got a $15,000 signing bonus to head north in free agency on a deal worth $120,000 in hard money. The 26-year-old product of Arizona State University has $5,000 in marketing money in his contract.

Emmanuel Rugamba also got a $15,000 signing bonus to join the Elks as their likely starter at strong-side linebacker. The 26-year-old, who spent the past four seasons with B.C., will make $104,700 in hard money, including $3,000 in marketing money, plus an additional $435 for each regular-season game he plays.

Gregor MacKellar will make $103,600 in hard money in 2025, plus $800 each time he plays more than half of Edmonton’s offensive snaps in a game. The 26-year-old native of Timberlea, N.S. won two Grey Cups and made 23 regular-season starts over three seasons with the Argonauts after being selected with a first-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft out of St. Francis Xavier University.

Global punter Cody Grace, American receiver Steven Dunbar Jr., Canadian receiver Tyson Middlemost, American receiver Tre Odoms-Dukes, and Canadian defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo will all make less than $100,000 in hard money. Grace played under new Elks head coach Mark Kilam for four seasons in Calgary, while Middlemost and Odoms-Dukes are also former members of the Stampeders.

In total, Edmonton’s free-agent signings were paid over $2.2 million in hard money, including more than $110,000 in marketing money. The second figure is noteworthy as, due to a loophole in the CFL’s collective bargaining agreement, marketing money is exempt from the salary cap.

Let’s examine how these new additions will fit into Edmonton’s depth chart. The outline below is obviously unofficial, as the team won’t provide an official depth chart until training camp gets underway in May.

Tre Ford and Cody Fajardo give the Elks a solid quarterback duo, while Justin Rankin and Javon Leake were exceptional running backs last year. By far the biggest question mark on Edmonton’s offence is the receiving corps, which is without incumbent starters Eugene Lewis, Dillon Mitchell, and Tevin Jones. Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Kaion Julien-Grant are high-level Canadian starters but Arkell Smith and Tre Odoms-Dukes remain relatively unproven.

The team’s offensive line, which was arguably the best in the CFL last season, has remained mostly intact. Mark Korte will likely move from centre to guard following the repatriation of David Beard, while Tomas Jack-Kurdyla is likely to regain a starting role after missing most of last season due to a knee injury.

Edmonton’s starting defensive line is brand new and arguably the best in the league. Robbie Smith, Jared Brinkman, and Jake Ceresna were all with the Argonauts last season, while Brandon Barlow was in Hamilton, where Ed Hervey served as general manager before being hired in the same role with the Elks early this offseason.

Nick Anderson and Nyles Morgan are incumbent starters in the linebacking corps, while Emmanuel Rugamba, Kobe Williams, Royce Metchie, and Tyrell Ford are new starters in the secondary. After starting an all-American defensive backfield last year, it appears as though Edmonton will start two Canadians in 2025. The team now has plenty of ratio flexibility as there are currently nine Canadians penciled in as starters on the roster.

The biggest question mark for the Elks is at kicker as neither Vincent Blanchard, a fourth-round pick out of Université Laval, and Campbell Fair, a former sixth-round pick out of the University of Ottawa, have played only one combined regular-season CFL game.

The post What the Edmonton Elks paid their 2025 free-agent signings (& how they fit into the roster) appeared first on 3DownNation.