2025 CFL free agent rankings: quarterbacks

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Quarterback is not only the most important position in football but arguably the most critical one in all of sport. In a passing league like the CFL, it’s extremely tough to win without a first-rate passer.

As of now, the league has 11 quarterbacks set to hit free agency. Trevor Harris, Tre Ford, Caleb Evans, and Dustin Crum have all signed contract extensions this offseason to avoid free agency, while Jake Maier (Saskatchewan) and McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Montreal) signed fresh deals after their rights were acquired by new teams.

The league’s free agency communications window, often referred to as the legal tampering window, will be open from Feb. 2 to 9. During this time, all remaining pending free agents will be allowed to negotiate with teams around the league without restrictions. Some players will agree to terms on contracts with new teams, though they can’t formally change clubs until after free agency officially gets underway on Feb. 11.

Make sure to return to this space tomorrow when we rank the pending free-agent running backs and fullbacks.

Please note that “N” denotes National players (ie. Canadians) and “A” denotes American players.

1. Nick Arbuckle, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Talk about going from zero to hero. Arbuckle was out of a job last offseason after a couple of bad years with Edmonton and Ottawa and his career would likely have been over had Chad Kelly not been suspended for the first half of last season, leading the Argonauts to bring him back for a second stint with the team.

The 31-year-old native of Camarillo, Calif. threw for 799 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions during the regular season, going 1-0 as a starter, before leading Toronto to a surprise Grey Cup victory. He threw for 252 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in place of the injured Kelly and was named the big game’s Most Valuable Player.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has expressed optimism about getting Arbuckle back under contract but he’s yet to sign on the dotted line for 2025.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

2. Jeremiah Masoli, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

The twelve-year CFL veteran got back onto the field in 2024 after two injury-riddled seasons and the results were mixed. Masoli went 1-2 as a starter in place of an injured Dru Brown, throwing for 1,149 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and carried the ball six times for 42 yards.

The five-foot-ten, 220-pound passer’s best days are certainly behind him — he’ll turn 37 in August — but there aren’t many quarterbacks with his level of experience available. Masoli has started 59 career games, thrown for almost 20,000 yards, and consistently earned the respect of his teammates.

3. Chris Streveler, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

The 30-year-old won his lone start this past season, a game in which he threw for 127 yards and ran for 79 yards and one touchdown. These numbers are emblematic of Streveler’s whole career — he’s an elite runner, boasting an impressive combination of speed and power, but struggles to push the ball downfield through the air.

The native of Crystal Lake, Ill. averaged the fewest yards per attempt of any quarterback in the CFL this past year (min. 50 attempts) but has proven to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defences along the ground. For a team looking to get better in short yardage and deploy more creative run packages, Streveler would be the perfect free agent addition — assuming, of course, he makes a full recovery from the torn ACL he suffered in September.

4. Cameron Dukes, Toronto Argonauts (A)

The 26-year-old went 4-5 as a starter with the Argonauts this past season and eventually lost the backup job behind Chad Kelly to Nick Arbuckle. His numbers weren’t bad, however, as he completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 1,444 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions and ran for 321 yards and four scores.

Dukes doesn’t have the biggest arm in the CFL, but he’s a young player who has shown he can make good decisions with the football and buy time with his feet. With only two years of CFL experience under his belt, the six-foot, 210-pound native of Shepherdsville, Ky. should have some more room to develop if paired with the right coaching staff.

5. Shea Patterson, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

The six-foot-one, 202-pound passer spent the first four years of his professional career with six teams across three different leagues. His transient ways finally came to an end in Riderville, where he got the chance to start seven games in his second year with the team, six of which came early in the season after Trevor Harris suffered a sprained MCL.

Patterson didn’t exactly blow the doors off when given the top job, however. He threw for 1,655 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions, rushed for 134 yards and seven scores, and posted a 2-4-1 record. The Riders appear to have lost faith in the University of Michigan product, as they traded for the rights to Jake Maier from Calgary and signed him to a one-year extension to serve as Harris’s new backup.

6. Matthew Shiltz, Calgary Stampeders (A)

The seven-year CFL veteran didn’t see the field until late this past season due to an ankle injury and didn’t exactly light it up, throwing for 438 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Shiltz lost both of his starts, which came against fellow non-playoff teams in Edmonton and Hamilton.

The native of St. Charles, Ill. has been around the league for a long time and if he were ever to develop into a starting-calibre quarterback, it feels like it would have happened by now. At 32, Shiltz might be running out of chances to prove he can play.

Photo: Larry MacDougal/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

7. Tommy Stevens, Calgary Stampeders (A)

The six-foot-five, 245-pound native of Indianapolis, Ind. has proven to be an excellent short-yardage quarterback, though he’s yet to do much of anything through the air. Stevens has made zero starts over three seasons in Cowtown and thrown only 20 pass attempts, completing 11 of them for 82 yards and one touchdown.

The Mississippi State product has rushed for 685 yards and 25 scores over 52 career CFL games, but this is a passing league. His value will be limited until he shows he can be a viable quarterback as a passer.

8. Dakota Prukop, Edmonton Elks (A)

The 31-year-old has played seven seasons almost purely as a short-yardage quarterback, rushing 186 times for 626 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has also seen a little action as a passer, throwing for 676 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions.

The native of Austin, Texas has also proven he can contribute on special teams, making 14 tackles. There’s no questioning Prukop’s versatility, though it’s worth wondering if teams might be better served using a roster spot on a younger developmental quarterback.

9. Bryan Scott, Toronto Argonauts (A)

The former Occidental College standout has bounced around professional football for the past eight years but has yet to get a real shot anywhere. In 2022, Scott threw for 558 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions in the USFL and has since completed five passes for 79 yards and one score in the CFL.

The native of Rolling Hills, Calif. will turn 30 in August, which means he’s running out of time to make an impression anywhere. If nothing else, he at least has a Grey Cup to his name after rejoining the Argonauts after Chad Kelly suffered a broken leg in the East Final.

10. Dominique Davis, Montreal Alouettes (A)

The ten-year CFL veteran spent last season with the Alouettes but didn’t attempt a pass as he filled out the depth chart behind Cody Fajardo and Davis Alexander following a season-ending injury to Caleb Evans. He still made the stat sheet, rushing for 39 yards and three touchdowns, but never saw time as a true passer.

Davis has been in the CFL for a long time and will turn 36 in July, which means his run could be coming to an end. He’s thrown for 3,967 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions over 134 career games with Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, and B.C.

11. Logan Bonner, Calgary Stampeders (A)

The Utah State product spent the 2023 season developing in Calgary and finally got his first chance to start this past season, taking over the controls for Calgary’s annual Labour Day rematch against Edmonton. The results were disastrous as Bonner threw five interceptions in a 37-16 loss at Commonwealth Stadium.

At 27, Bonner is still relatively young, but he’s not that young — heck, he’s only five months younger than Jake Maier. It’s probably too early to write Bonner off but it’s hard to overlook his limited physical tools and disastrous first start.

The post 2025 CFL free agent rankings: quarterbacks appeared first on 3DownNation.

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