One last look back: every CFL player who retired this off-season

It’s impossible for any professional sports league to look the same from year to year and the Canadian Football League is no exception.

 

One last look back: every CFL player who retired this off-season
By 3Down Staff -May 16, 2024

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
It’s impossible for any professional sports league to look the same from year to year and the Canadian Football League is no exception.

Over 25 players filed their retirement papers this off-season, not including many well-known veterans who remain free agents, such as Nick Arbuckle, Jamal Morrow, Greg Ellingson, Derel Walker, Lucky Whitehead, Duke Williams, Landon Rice, Ja’Gared Davis, Abdul Kanneh, Robertson Daniel, Winston Rose, and Janarion Grant.

With training camps now open across the country, let’s take one last look back at those who decided not to return to the field in 2024.

Players are listed alphabetically by last name.

REC Emmanuel Arceneaux

The 36-year-old finished his CFL career with 645 catches for 9,277 yards and 58 touchdowns over 164 games with B.C., Saskatchewan, and Edmonton, earning three West Division all-star selections and two CFL all-star selections. Though the Manny Show is no longer releasing new episodes, have no fear: it’s still available on syndication.

OL Logan Bandy

The six-foot-five, 285-pound blocker was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 CFL Draft and played 29 games over two seasons in Saskatchewan, making 15 starts at centre. Though he fell in his draft year, the 24-year-old was a highly decorated offensive lineman at the University of Calgary, earning three Canada West all-star selections.

SAM/RB Jackson Bennett

The native of Cumberland, Ont. played five seasons in the CFL with Hamilton and Ottawa at strong-side linebacker and running back, finishing his five-year career with 128 carries for 597 yards and one touchdown, 33 catches for 239 yards, 27 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and 21 kickoff returns for 469 yards.

LB Jesse Briggs

The 33-year-old filed his retirement papers instead of pursuing free agency this past winter, capping a nine-year career spent entirely in Winnipeg. Briggs was a second-round pick in the 2014 CFL Draft out of McGill University and made 51 defensive tackles, 76 special teams tackles, and four fumble recoveries over 134 career regular season games, helping the Blue Bombers win two Grey Cups.

DB Cariel Brooks

The two-time East Division all-star and one-time CFL all-star made 205 defensive tackles, two sacks, 12 interceptions, and four forced fumbles over 70 career games with Hamilton and Ottawa. The former NFL draft pick and native of Miami Gardens, Fla. played 10 games for the Redblacks this past season, starting primarily at boundary halfback.

OL David Brown

The six-foot-five, 300-pound native of London, Ont. suffered three ACL tears during his collegiate and professional career, appearing in only 33 CFL games over four seasons with Calgary and Montreal. Despite no longer being a player, Brown remains with the Alouettes as their new assistant offensive line coach and, at 29, appears to have a bright future in the coaching world.

LB Larry Dean

The six-foot, 225-pound defender made 570 defensive tackles, 15 special teams tackles, 11 sacks, seven interceptions, and eight forced fumbles over seven CFL seasons with Hamilton, Edmonton, and Saskatchewan. The four-time divisional all-star took a job with the Roughriders upon his retirement, now serving as the team’s player personnel coordinator in football operations.

DB Javien Elliott

The 30-year-old retired suddenly in March despite still being under contract with the Tiger-Cats and being penciled into a starting role in the secondary. Elliott made 44 tackles and three interceptions over three seasons with Calgary and Hamilton following a four-year NFL career during which he dressed for 52 games with Tampa Bay and Carolina.

SAM Chris Edwards

The 31-year-old went out with a bang as he punched an opponent in the head at the end of the East Semi-Final, drawing a three-game suspension. The career bad boy ended his six-year CFL run with 231 defensive tackles, 10 special teams tackles, 10 interceptions, eight sacks, and five forced fumbles over 98 games with Edmonton, B.C., Toronto, and Hamilton.

QB Dane Evans

The six-year veteran stepped away from the game at the age of 30 to pursue a coaching career and has since landed a position as the quarterbacks coach at Owasso High School in his home state of Oklahoma. Evans finished his CFL career with 9,636 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, and 40 interceptions over 79 games with the Tiger-Cats and Lions with starts in back-to-back Grey Cups.

LB/FB Bailey Feltmate

The 26-year-old native of Moncton, N.B. played three seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after being selected in the second round of the 2020 CFL Draft. The University of Acadia product made four defensive tackles and 35 special teams tackles over 43 career games, contributing at linebacker and fullback.