CHARLOTTE, NC — Mark Kilam knows the importance of football in Alberta.
The now head coach of the Edmonton Elks spent more than a decade with the Calgary Stampeders, winning three Grey Cups and contributing to one of the most successful runs in league history.
Now, his job is to bring that success north to the Green and Gold, and his job has already started with free agency less than a month away.
CFL.ca spoke with Kilam at the 2025 Winter Meetings in Charlotte. Here are three takeaways from the chat with the new bench boss in Edmonton.
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(Krista Jasso/CFL.ca)
SPECIAL COACH
Kilam was hired by the Calgary Stampeders in 2005 as the strength and conditioning coach. From there, the 45-year old went through the coaching ranks, becoming defensive assistant 2006, before being promoted to linebackers coach in 2007. Finally, in 2010, Kilam earned the special teams coordinator role, one he retained all the way to 2024, assuming double duty after being named assistant head coach in 2019.
A lot of successful CFL coaches come from a special teams background, including Winnipeg’s Mike O’Shea, who led his team to four straight Grey Cup appearances and two titles. Kilam believes it comes from the versatile nature of the role.
“Special teams coordinators are the only other coach (other than the head coach) that talks to the entire team,” said Kilam. “If you’re a good special teams coordinator, you have to have a presence in the room, that’s the only way you can get your guys to play. You’re constantly managing the game, always anticipating what the next situation is going to be.”
MOVEMENT EACH YEAR
The Elks have worked in the off-season to extend the contract of some of their key players, including three of the five that were included on CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agents list. Tre Ford, Javon Leake and Martez Ivey were given new contracts, while Eugene Lewis and Nyles Morgan are still scheduled to become free agents in February.
Kilam knows that part of the game is balancing retaining your own talent with being able to bring in new players to complement your roster.
“The one thing about the CFL, the way it is with one year contracts, there is gonna be movement each and every year, but we’re trying to do our best to surround Tre with playmakers on offence and the same thing on defence.”
The head coach – who was plenty of experience in managing different roster situations – kept things close to his vest, though.
“We have some guys that we’re in negotiations right now, it always has to work in a salary cap era.”
IN THE BUILDING EVERY DAY
Part of the Elks strategy this off-season was to build around Ford. The team extended his contract, appointed him the starter and brought in former BC Lions offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic to help with the pivot’s development.
“We’re really proud of the Jordan Maksymic hire on offence because he has a ton of experience developing high-end quarterbacks that have different skill sets, so I’m really excited to pair (Ford) with him.
“Part of us getting behind Tre early was so that he could feel confident commanding the huddle. We’ve got him in Edmonton right now, he’s in our building every day making sure that physically he’s ready to play and compete for an entire season, but also mentally it’s good to have him in and around the building, getting on the same page. It’s gonna be invaluable come training camp and come regular season in his development.”
Maskymic worked with quarterbacks like Nathan Rourke, Vernon Adams Jr. and Michael Reilly, showing an ability to mold his offence to different skillsets and abilities. That sort of past success was essential for Kilam and the Elks when looking to fill in the offensive coordinator position. Edmonton also traded for pivot Cody Fajardo, who brings championship experience to the locker room and could play a pivotal role in helping Ford.
“Jordan was the guy that we wanted to get,” said the lead man in Edmonton. “We thought that getting our offensive coordinator/quarterback coach was one of our most important hires.
“Jordan has had that success with Nathan, Vernon, Michael Reilly. You have a guy that had that experience, gives him credibility that the system can be successful with Tre. Then you throw Cody Fajardo in that mix, who’s played in a similar system and has been very successful and has been the MVP of the Grey Cup, I think that dynamic is only gonna help Tre.
“I’m excited to see the steps that he takes this year.”