The market is hot right now for breakout CFL star, defensive back and strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett, per sources.
Multiple teams are bidding for his services and he has the prime years of his professional football career still ahead of him.
The 26-year-old made 73 defensive tackles, seven special teams tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown over 16 starts with the Montreal Alouettes this past season.
Could Pickett be back in La Belle province or will he look to further his career elsewhere? He was the Alouettes’ Most Outstanding Defensive Player last year and it would be a major blow to the birds’ defence if he isn’t re-signed.
The five-foot-11, 210-pound defender signed with the Chicago Bears after going unselected in the 2019 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He also spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots, though he never dressed for a regular-season NFL game.
The native of Berkeley, Calif. signed his first CFL contract with Montreal in June 2021. He dressed for 14 games as a rookie and made 23 defensive tackles, 12 special teams tackles, one sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery, starting four games at field-side cornerback.
3DownNation ranked Pickett as the No. 1 pending free agent strong-side linebacker and No. 13 among all players who could hit the open market. Saskatchewan Roughriders veteran Derrick Moncrief was the highest-paid SAM in the CFL last season at $150,000 in hard money and he’s set to earn $155,00 in hard money in 2023. It would be reasonable for Pickett to command money in that range due to his young age and all-star upside.
