Former Canadian Football League quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson is going back to The Spring League.
After bouncing around to four NFL teams and being cut by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2016, Bethel-Thompson went to TSL in April 2017. Following two games he eventually signed with the Toronto Argonauts. The Spring League rebooted his professional career and the 32-year-old is hoping for the same in 2020.
According to Postmedia reporter Dan Barnes: The Spring League CEO Brian Woods says former CFL QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson will be part of TSL’s six-team, four-week season which starts later this month in a bubble environment in San Antonio.
In August, Bethel-Thompson opted out of his CFL contract, it would have expired in February 2021. Originally, the San Francisco native was looking for an NFL opportunity, however that hasn’t come, yet.
The six-foot-four, 220-pound passer is coming off the best season of his CFL career. He led the CFL with 26 touchdown passes and was third in the league with 4,024 passing yards during the 2019 season.
Bethel-Thompson had nine games where he passed for 300 or more yards, despite getting just 13 starts, in 10 of those games he threw for multiple touchdowns. The Sacramento State University product also had a pair of games where he passed for over 400 yards last year.
Through three seasons in Toronto, Bethel-Thompson has played 42 CFL games passing for 6,227 yards with a 67 percent completion rate and 35 touchdowns versus 23 picks through three seasons in Canada. He has rushed 48 times for 276 yards and two touchdowns, including a 5.8 yards per carry average.
Prior to joining the Argos in 2017, Bethel-Thompson had stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. However, he’s never played in a regular season NFL game.
If Bethel-Thompson can play well in The Spring League, which uses American rules, it could lead to renewed NFL interest. The last time he played in TSL, New York brought him to mini-camp, but the Jets didn’t offer him a contract after it concluded.
