2023 CFL QB wage comparison

CFL Talk
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Top 15 Highest Paid CFL Quarterbacks

1. Zach Collaros, Blue Bombers

  • Hard money: $600,000
  • Maximum value: $600,000

The CFL’s two-time reigning Most Outstanding Player will be the league’s highest-paid player again in 2023, earning the full value of his contract in hard money. Collaros received a $300,000 signing bonus to sign a three-year extension with Winnipeg in October 2022, which means half of his earnings for this season counted against last year’s salary cap.

2. Bo Levi Mitchell, Tiger-Cats

  • Hard money: $502,000
  • Maximum value: $520,000

The two-time CFL M.O.P. received a $300,000 signing bonus to sign a three-year contract with the Ticats after his rights were acquired from the Calgary Stampeders via trade. The vast majority of his new contract is hard money, though Mitchell can also earn $1,000 each time he plays more than 51 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in a game.

3. Trevor Harris, Roughriders

  • Hard money: $500,000
  • Maximum value: $500,000

The 36-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Riders during free agency and the terms of the deal couldn’t be much simpler. He earned a $250,000 signing bonus with the rest of his money being paid in base salary, housing money, a travel bonus, and community appearances.

4. Jeremiah Masoli, Redblacks

  • Hard money: $425,000
  • Maximum value: $433,000

The nine-year veteran signed an extension with Ottawa through 2024 and received a $175,000 signing bonus to do so. He will earn a $5,000 bonus if he is named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2023 along with a $10,000 travel bonus.

5. Jake Maier, Stampeders

  • Hard money: $405,000
  • Maximum value: $447,000

The new face of the franchise in Cowtown received a $210,000 signing bonus last fall to ink an extension through 2024. His contract for this year includes a $2,000 bonus each time he plays more than 51 percent of Calgary’s offensive snaps in a game as well as smaller bonuses for being named a West Division all-star, a CFL all-star and the league’s M.O.P.

6. Taylor Cornelius, Elks

  • Hard money: $392,000
  • Maximum value: $432,000

The dual-threat passer signed an extension through 2024 last fall, which included a $106,500 signing bonus. He received a $50,000 off-season roster bonus on Jan. 1, will collect another $46,500 after reporting to training camp and passing his physical, and will earn an additional $2,222 each time he takes more than 51 percent of Edmonton’s offensive snaps during the regular season.

7. Cody Fajardo, Alouettes

  • Hard money: $371,000
  • Maximum value: $425,000

The former West Division M.O.P. collected a $125,000 signing bonus to join the Als following a four-year run with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Most of his compensation is in the form of hard money, though he will earn a $3,000 bonus each time he plays more than 51 percent of Montreal’s offensive snaps in a game this season.

8. Vernon Adams Jr., Lions

  • Hard money: $285,000
  • Maximum value: $350,000

The six-year veteran received a $115,000 signing bonus to ink a new deal with the Lions and will collect another $20,000 when he takes his first snap in 2023. He will also receive a $2,500 bonus each time he plays at least one percent of B.C.’s offensive snaps in each of the club’s regular season games.

9. Nick Arbuckle, Redblacks

  • Hard money: $130,000
  • Maximum value: $229,000

The 29-year-old received a $25,000 signing bonus to remain as the backup in Ottawa and has a number of other incentives he could reach depending on how much he plays. He will earn $2,500 each time he plays more than 51 percent of the Redblacks’ offensive snaps in a game, $20,000 if he does so for seven games and $25,000 for 14 games.

10. Matthew Shiltz, Tiger-Cats

  • Hard money: $125,000
  • Maximum value: $205,000

The dual-threat passer collected a $20,000 signing bonus to re-sign with the Ticats and serve as the backup behind new franchise quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. His deal includes some large incentives he could unlock if Mitchell misses games for whatever reason, including a $10,000 bonus for playing over 51 percent of Hamilton’s offensive snaps in eight games, $14,000 for doing the same in 14 games and $30,000 for 17 games.

11. Dane Evans, Lions

  • Hard money: $94,000
  • Maximum value: $151,000

Evans takes a $300,000-plus pay cut from what he made with the Tiger-Cats last year after a season marred by turnovers, including a league-high 16 interceptions. The 29-year-old reworked his contract for a trade to the west coast to fit in as a backup to Vernon Adams Jr. He’ll get $10,000 for playing one percent of any offensive, defensive or special teams play. If he’s forced into a starting role, Evans can earn $2,000 per game for playing 51 percent of all the offensive plays.

12. Caleb Evans, Alouettes

  • Hard money: $90,000
  • Maximum value: $364,700

The 24-year-old has one of the league’s most incentive-laden deals as he will collect $5,000 for starting and playing more than 51 percent of Montreal’s offensive snaps in five games, $10,000 for doing so in 10 games and $30,000 for 15 games. He will also collect $2,000 each time he plays more than 51 percent of Montreal’s offensive snaps in a game this year.

13. Dominique Davis, Lions

  • Hard money: $90,000
  • Maximum value: $143,000

The seven-year veteran will collect a $2,000 bonus each time he starts and plays more than 51 percent of B.C.’s offensive snaps in a game and another $10,000 bonus if he plays 1 percent of an offensive, defensive or specials teams snaps over the course of the season. He received a $5,000 signing bonus to join the Lions following a one-year stint with the Als.

14. Chad Kelly, Argonauts

  • Hard money: $87,000
  • Maximum value: $248,000

The new starting quarterback in The Six has relatively little hard money on his deal but there are plenty of incentives he’ll have the opportunity to hit as Toronto’s new QB1. He will collect a $3,333 bonus each time he plays more than 51 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in a game, $10,000 if he throws for 4,000 yards and $15,000 if he throws for 5,000 yards, among others.

15. Dru Brown, Blue Bombers

  • Hard money: $82,000
  • Maximum value: $97,000

The Oklahoma State product has a $75,000 base salary with $7,000 in housing money and will collect $500 each time he plays more than 51 percent of Winnipeg’s offensive plays in a game.

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Some fantastic research done by 3down on this! :+1:
The fact they are going to do all position groups is outstanding!

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i think it's interesting that the top and bottom ones (in top 15) are the two Bombers. Lions have 3 in the bottom half.

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What I find amazing is the Bombers had $300K left over cap from their season in 2022,
To pay Collaros before Dec.31st, that $300K 2023 signing bonus out of the 2022 cap so it doesn't get charged to the 2023 Cap

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Cornelius is the surprise for me in this list. I didn't see him lasting as a starter and am not sure what Edmonton sees in him. I wish him the best though.

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Corny has great potential and i see him just need reps and to improve his in-game decision making. he has all the tools to be a difference maker and i think he is poised for a breakout year, depending on his O-line and other players around him.

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Since they are posting the top 15 at each position, they should just provide us with a link to the entire CFLPA spreadsheet

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i like this idea

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Too bad it is prob all BS with no way to confirm one way or the other
I would not believe 3dn if they told me the sky was blue
Its no-one's business how much the players make and the players should sue 3dn for invasion of privacy

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Unless 3 down nation hacked the CFLPA HQ or players and their reps private files this case would be dismissed outright in the courts and with prejudice.
As a player I wouldn’t wish to have my salary information made public either but there is little they can do if the information surfaces publicly.

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lol you guys it's not hard to get this info for pro sports leagues if you're a journalist.

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Why would it be dismissed?
What other way is there for it to get out?
CFL bylaws prevent salaries from being disclosed

Hacked or leaked whether by players or reps or agents is a violation of privacy.....publishing it is still an invasion of privacy no matter how it was obtained

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You'd still need to be able to prove who leaked it.

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Not if I am suing the guy who published it In this case 3dn

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Nope.

the court ruled for the first time that the media has the right to publish confidential information provided by a source – even when the source has no right to divulge the information or has obtained it by illegal means.

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That has nothing to do with what I said.
That ruling says the journalist does not have to divulge his source

I am not suing the source, I am suing the journalist for publishing my private info

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Try reading the whole article.

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I did....
I am not going to argue with you

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You obviously didn’t read it, or you wouldn’t even try to argue. Well, maybe you would. Let me give you a hint... I quoted one of several relevant passages in my post above.

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In my opinion the players are receiving bad advice and are foolish not to want their salaries made public.

You may recall there was a huge debate about this in the late 90’s I believe involving NHL players. Certain agents wanted to make salaries public, their thinking being that this would lead to higher salaries across the board. Many players, even maybe even a majority at the time as I recall didn’t want their salaries published.

Salaries became public and as a result skyrocketed across the board. Probably the single smartest thing the NHL players ever did and I think this is very common across most sports leagues for the same reason.

There is also an argument to be made that since players derive their salaries from the public that the public has the right to know what they are receiving. I don’t know whether that argument would be successful in court or not but certainly community owned teams must disclose player salaries and arguably any team receiving tax dollars in any way should be compelled to do so as well. That might be every team. As a result the horse probably has the very back end of it’s ass only left in the barn in any event.

Disclosing salaries is win-win all around. If I was a CFL player I would insist on it being mandatory.

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