EDMONTON — Expect a lot more excitement in Commonwealth Stadium over the next three seasons.
National quarterback Tre Ford has agreed to terms on an extension through the 2027 season, the club announced Friday. Ford was scheduled to become a free agent in February and was the No. 1 ranked player on CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agent list.
Well, that’s that. Major piece out of the way. Very good news for the Elks. They are ticking all the boxes. Once the Harris signing was out of the way it was going to be done although I believe it was all but done before then anyway. 
Very good news. That kind of multi-year commitment sends a signal about their confidence in Ford.
MBT???
Really hope this works out for Tre. He deserves the shot at it
Elks are moving in the right direction. No longer will they be cellar dwellers
Well, now we can speculate where the other 3 starters from last year end up. Fajardo, MBT & Maier may be looking @ getting 250K to 300K from somebody. All were top 7 stats wise & over 3,000 yds despite not starting all 18 games. IF that is the case, that leaves out clubs with starters earning $500K & up IMO - everybody but the Elks in the West & only the Als & Ottawa in the East.
Will Edmonton even present MBT a starter competitive offer? Or just let him move on?
Nice to here from someone who hasn’t been around awhile. Welcome back. IMO Fajardo has the most similar style to Ford but I don’t see him as a great mentor. Maier & MBT, at this stage, are dropback passers. BUT MBT has a reputation of being willing to work with younger guys. So I could see him coming back.
When half the teams in the league have QB’s earning in the 500K range, Ford can only max out @ 367K if he hits all his incentives in 2025. So they could invest 300K in a seasoned backup. All the #1 seats are pretty much taken from what I see. So that’s good money if you’re 1 of the 3 former starters looking for work IMO.
Is there an added bonus here? In a post season interview Tre spoke of his relationship with his twin brother & said they would like to work together at some point in their professional careers. If Tyrell is still unsigned after Christmas IMO it’s a good bet that his brother will have talked with him about that possibility, if not already.
Things are really happening fast in Edmonton. Kilam is introduced as HC Dec 3, 3DN reports Maksymic & Sherritt hires on Dec 4 & they lock up Ford on Dec 6, They’re not fooling around.
I have followed MBT since he broke through with the Argos in that last minute comeback back in, I believe, 2018.
I was a fan of MBT and enjoyed watching his game.
I also liked his cerebral approach to life.
I was excited for him when he got to the Cup, even if he could not finish the game.
And I have followed Fajardo since he broke through with the Riders.
I always rooted for him with the Riders.
I am an Alouettes fan so I was ecstatic when he got MVP at the Cup. That end of season run was legendary.
He deserved the accolades.
From my standpoint MBT gives off a negative vibe publicly. I cannot be the only one in the world that perceives this.
Fajardo evidently got his feelings hurt, but that is also negative.
I think between the two, Fajardo has the best situation.
Instead of being hurt, Fajardo should be excited at what the future holds. I think he is in a great position.
For Fajardo, it seems straightforward:
Does he love Montreal enough to spend his life there with his family after he retires. If so, the decision is easy.
Despite his excitement about learning French at the beginning, he has not learned so say more than a few words.
I am guessing he loves the city to visit, but he is not a Calvillo, who fell in love with Montreal and is still living there.
But he if he does truly love Montreal and wants to settle down there after retirement, the decision is easy-peasy… restructure the contract and when/if Alexander gets injured, he keeps the chains moving admirably.
However, Montreal is probably not the city where he and his family want to be long term.
If that is the case, he needs to find another location.
I would say he should back up Harris, because Harris will get injured at least once in 2025. Cody can get some redemption there.
Cody is a great guy, and the future is bright for him in whatever he decides to do. Respect for Cody.
MBT? Well Edmonton is far away from his wife and family.
He needs to find another location. I am not sure where he would fit in.
You can have him for whoever is your team. Take him already.
Well they’re really hoping that Ford can become a complete QB for 2025! He didn’t show that in 2024, has a lot to learn about things before he will really be successful every game.
He needs to learn the finer details that come with a true full time starter. Ford has to learn how to stay in the pocket when it is required and learn how to read defenses good enough to find the best player and to call the correct audibles. And has to learn patience and not allow himself to get easily frustrated when things aren’t going your way.
This is the Elks trying to put fans in the stands more than trying to become playoff contenders immediately. However, if they don’t improve and are 3-8 mid season the fans will soon turn.
Yes, Tre is going to put fans in the stands, and that is a good thing. Also, he is a dynamic athlete and knows how to win. Edmonton will no longer be a joke and bottom feeder. Things are looking up with this move.
We can certainly count on you for the haterade for at least next season no doubt too!
Bang on the money.
A team leader who says lets go win the game - is worth far more than a perfect, polished, QB with a perfect 3 step drop, pocket presence, reads defences perfectly, and who has never in his career won a conference championship as a starter.
I heard that Harris is getting in the $400,000 range. That should leve wiggle room for the Riders.
And I doubt that Ford is earning quite that - I would expect a base of $250k-$300k, plus performance bonuses.
Which should leave wiggle room to resign guys we need to get a wiggle on and get re-signed like Morgan, Leake, Ivey, Foucault, Jones, Hutter, Prukop…
Yes??? Please take him!
This is old news in Edmonton already that MBT’s future is over, and there’s a reason there’s been no takers yet of MBT or he’d be gone already.
That is true and I expect the Elks to be big players in the FA frenzy.
My comment was only to let pantsonfire know that the Riders are not currently in the >$500K starting QB club in the west.