EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks announced on Sunday evening that they have signed two-time Grey Cup champion quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported on Friday that the Elks would be making the move.
Bethel-Thompson joins the Elks after spending the 2023 season with the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL), where he led the league in passing yards with 2,433. In 10 games, Bethel-Thompson threw for 14 touchdowns, while leading New Orleans to a 7-3 record.
Prior to last year, the Sacramento State product spent five seasons with the Toronto Argonauts (2017-2019, 2021-2022), throwing for a combined 13,261 yards and 70 passing touchdowns in 74 CFL games — including 46 as a starter.
The 35-year-old’s best CFL season was his most recent, leading the Argos to a CFL championship in 2022 when Toronto downed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 in the 109th Grey Cup. The six-foot-four pivot led the CFL in passing yards that season, throwing for 4,731 yards with 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The 2022 season was Bethel-Thompson’s second Grey Cup victory with the Argos after being part of the Double Blue’s 2017 CFL title run.
The San Francisco, CA native enters the 2024 season with a CFL career completion percentage of 66.8 and a passer rating of 92.4.
Bethel-Thompson and Elks head coach and general manager Chris Jones will meet with media on Monday to further discuss the signing.
