TORONTO — Did you know that there are currently 487 total players on CFL rosters? More importantly, did you know that most of them will take the field this week? Welcome to the 2024 CFL Season.
June is finally here and with it another exciting CFL campaign is about to start. There are four games on schedule beginning Thursday with the current champions Montreal Alouettes traveling to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers.
On Friday Bo Levi Mitchell returns to Calgary to face the Stampeders as the pivot for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It’s his first game back at McMahon since leaving the team he led to two Grey Cup championships (2014, 2018).
Saturday marks head coach Corey Mace’s regular season debut as the lead man for the Saskatchewan Roughriders when they travel to Edmonton to face the Elks. Kickoff was moved to 2 p.m. MT/4 p.m. ET. It’ll also be quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s regular season debut for the Elks after a year away from the CFL.
Finally, on Sunday the BC Lions visit the Argonauts in Toronto, where they haven’t won in the last nine games. Who will start the season 1-0?
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BREAK IT DOWN
There are currently 487 total players on CFL rosters.
- 394 are veteran players, with 301 having started at least one CFL game.
- 93 are first-year players (19 per cent); at this time last year, there were 69.
- All players have an average of 39 games (approx. three years) of CFL experience, while veterans alone average 48 games.
- Status:
226 Nationals
245 Americans
15 Globals
170 players come from USPORTS (35 per cent)
Average player age: 28
Oldest teams by average: Winnipeg (28.7), BC (28.5) and Saskatchewan (28.1)
Youngest teams by average: Hamilton (27.5), Edmonton (27.7) and Calgary (27.8)
PIVOT-AL PERFORMANCES IN WEEK 1
OL’ STOMPIN’ GROUNDS
- Bo Levi Mitchell will make his much-anticipated return to McMahon Stadium on Friday, marking his first game against his former team.
- As a Stampeder, he started 117 games going 90-25-2, including a 47-13-2 (.774) mark at McMahon.
- Mitchell (194) needs six touchdown passes to become the 13th player to reach 200 in his career.
- Notable accomplishments in Calgary:
2x Grey Cup Champion (2014, 2018)
2x Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (2014, 2018)
2x Most Outstanding Player (2016, 2018)
2x CFL All-Star (2016, 2018)
3x West All-Star (2015, 2016, 2018)
Stampeders’ all-time passing leader (32,541)
Second all-time on Calgary’s TD passes (188)
Second all-time on Calgary’s 300+ yard games (37)
QUICK SLANTS
League-wide
- Of the 54 CFL Divisional All-Stars from 2023, 48 are on CFL rosters this season.
- Seven of the top eight kickers in career field-goal percentage are active.
| Game Notes | |
| Montreal at Winnipeg | Download PDF |
| Hamilton at Calgary | Coming Soon |
| Saskatchewan at Edmonton | Coming Soon |
| BC at Toronto | Coming Soon |
MTL at WPG
- The two teams have played in Week 1 on six occasions with the Alouettes winning each matchup. The last time they opened the season was in 2016.
- Montreal’s Cody Fajardo is a career 2-8 vs. Winnipeg; he is 34-16 (.680) otherwise.
- Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira (2,964) needs 36 rushing yards to reach 3,000 in his career.
HAM at CGY
- Each of the last six meetings between these two teams was decided in the game’s final three minutes. No team won by more than seven points.
- Calgary’s Dave Dickenson is looking for his 80th victory as a head coach (79-41-2).
- Scott Milanovich will be making his debut as the head coach of Hamilton. He holds a 43-47 mark as a CFL head coach.
SSK at EDM
- Kickoff moved up to 2 p.m. MT/4 p.m. ET
- The Riders have won nine of their past 11 meetings with Edmonton. Each of those games was decided in the final three minutes with an average margin of victory of 5.8 points.
- Corey Mace will be making his head coaching debut with Saskatchewan. The past four Riders head coaches were 1-3 in their season-opening debuts, with only Corey Chamblin picking up a win.
- Elks QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson is a career 2-1 vs. the Riders. His best season came in 2022 when we went 11-6 as a starter.
- Riders QB Trevor Harris (29,884) needs 116 passing yards to become the 19th player to reach 30,000 in his career.
- Bethel-Thompson (58) and Harris (165) have a combined 223 30+ yard completions.
BC at TOR
- Since 2016, BC is 33-17 (.660) vs. the East and 29-43 (.403) vs. the West.
- Toronto has won nine straight regular season home games, and its last three vs. BC at BMO Field.
- BC’s Sean Whyte (1,928) is 72 points away from 2,000 in his career.