Edmonton Elks add star receiver Austin Mack

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Elks have signed wide receiver Austin Mack on a two-year deal, the CFL club announced Thursday.

Mack spent the last three seasons with Montreal, registering 136 catches for 1,973 yards and six touchdowns in 32 regular-season games.

He became available when the Alouettes released him Monday to explore his options ahead of the start of free agency Feb. 10. Mack was due a $45,000 bonus Feb. 1 as part of a four-year deal he signed with Montreal in 2024.

Mack will reunite with Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo, reforming a dangerous tandem that helped the Alouettes win the 2023 Grey Cup.

The 28-year-old from Fort Wayne, Ind., had 78 catches for 1,154 yards and four touchdowns and earned league all-star honours that year, and had a team-high 103 yards and a touchdown in Montreal’s 28-24 Grey Cup victory over Winnipeg.

Mack appeared in just three regular-season contests in 2024 after signing with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons following the ’23 campaign. He added 674 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 12 games in 2025.

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Running back Butler re-signs with Lions

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions have signed star running back James Butler to a two-year extension.

The 30-year-old from Chicago was eligible to become a free agent on Feb. 10.

Butler set career highs with 1,213 rushing yards and a CFL-best 11 rushing touchdowns on 229 carries last season.

He added 46 receptions for 439 yards and one TD across 17 regular-season games.

Butler has rushed for 4,408 yards and 29 touchdowns and added eight TDs on 1,965 receiving yards over five seasons with B.C. and Hamilton.

Before the announcement of his extension, Butler had received praise from Nathan Rourke when the star Lions quarterback discussed his own new contract at a press conference on Wednesday.

“I think JB is just incredibly versatile,” Nathan Rourke said. “He does what we want to do in our offence. I think he’s really underrated in the pass protection game.

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“Just his IQ, and all the things he does for us. I’m hoping that works out numbers-wise, again. I’m really hoping he’s a guy who can be a B.C. Lion next year.”

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KeeSean Johnson returns to Grey Cup champions

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed wide receiver KeeSean Johnson to a two-year contract extension.

The 29-year-old from East Palo Alto, Calif., was a league all-star last season after catching 86 passes for 1,159 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games.

He sustained a knee injury in a Week 19 game against Toronto that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2025 season, including Saskatchewan’s Grey Cup victory over Montreal.

Johnson initially signed with the Roughriders in February 2024 and had 746 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season.

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Tiger-Cats re-sign offensive lineman Quinton Barrow

HAMILTON — The Tiger-Cats announced have re-signed offensive lineman Quinton Barrow.

The 25-year-old suited up for 18 games at left tackle for Hamilton in the 2025 season.

The six-foot-six, 331-pound native of Inkster, Mich., joined the Ticats ahead of the 2024 season and has suited up for 35 games over two seasons with Hamilton. He was an East Division all-star last year.

— With files from freelance reporter Jim Morris in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.

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