A good pass rush can swing a game in favour of either team and in the case of these 20 defensive linemen, CFL teams are willing to pay a premium to make that happen.
Over the next week, 3DownNation will be unveiling the CFL’s highest-paid players at each positional group. We’ve already published the quarterbacks, running backs and fullbacks, receivers, and offensive line lists. Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to the linebackers.
“Hard money” is a slang term used to refer to any portion of a contract that is paid even if a player is hurt. This includes salary, a signing bonus, housing money, workout bonuses, travel allowances, off-season roster bonuses, and report-and-pass bonuses.
Any additional portions of the contract — often referred to as “playtime” — are outlined in part or in full in the paragraph accompanying each player. These bonuses are often tied to how much a player sees the field, their yardage production, scoring touchdowns, being named an all-star or winning a league award.
Please note that “N” denotes national players (ie. Canadians) and “A” denotes American players.
Defensive tackles
1) Anthony Lanier, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)
Hard money: $250,000
Maximum value: $250,000
Lanier broke out with eight sacks despite missing seven games last season due to injury and the Riders shelled out to see what damage he can do over the course of a full schedule. The 29-year-old received the entirety of his new contract in hard money, including a $100,000 signing bonus and another $10,000 for reporting to training camp.
2) Jake Ceresna, Edmonton Elks (A)
Hard money: $205,000
Maximum value: $215,000
Ceresna notched 10 sacks in just 12 appearances last year and cashed in accordingly with his new deal, taking home an $80,000 signing bonus. The 28-year-old can collect $1,000 for repeating as a divisional all-star and $2,000 for another CFL all-star selection, along with an additional $2,000 for winning a Most Outstanding Player award and $5,000 for leading the league in sacks.
3) Dylan Wynn, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)
Hard money: $181,000
Maximum value: $187,000
After missing the end of last season with a knee injury, Wynn will collect $50,000 for reporting to his sixth CFL training camp. The 29-year-old can earn an extra $2,000 for becoming a CFL all-star and $3,000 for a league award win, along with $1,000 for recording 10 or more sacks — a feat he last accomplished in 2019.
4) Casey Sayles, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)
Hard money: $180,000
Maximum value: $190,000
The Ticats paid Sayles a premium to bring him over from Winnipeg in free agency, including a $50,000 signing bonus. The 27-year-old will earn another $2,500 after playing his first snap and can collect $1,500 each for crossing the milestone of five, seven and nine sacks, as well as a $1,000 incentive for being a divisional all-star and $2,000 for league honours.
5) Mike Rose, Calgary Stampeders (A)
Hard money: $161,000
Maximum value: $176,000
Entering year six in Calgary, Rose has already received a $15,000 offseason bonus and will collect another $500 for every game he plays in. The 30-year-old can earn an additional $1,000 and $2,000 respectively for being named a divisional or CFL all-star for the third consecutive season, with equivalent bonuses for winning a team or league award.
6) Cleyon Laing, Ottawa Redblacks (N)
Hard money: $156,000
Maximum value: $174,000
At 32 years old, Laing took a significant pay cut on his latest two-year extension but remains near the top of his position. The Canadian received a $25,000 signing bonus and will get another $10,000 for reporting to training camp, along with $500 for every game he plays more than half of the defensive snap. He will also earn $1,000 for an all-star selection or sack lead at the divisional level, $2,000 for those same accomplishments at a league level, and $3,000 for a major award win.
7) Derek Wiggan, Calgary Stampeders (N)
Hard money: $151,000
Maximum value: $166,000
An unheralded eight-year standout for the Stampeders, Wiggan is paid like one of the league’s elite. The 30-year-old has already collected a $10,000 offseason bonus and can get an additional $500 for every game he plays, along with incentives of $1,000 for a divisional all-star nod or team award nomination and $2,000 for a CFL all-star spot or league award win.
8) Almondo Sewell, Montreal Alouettes (A)
Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $145,000
Still kicking at 36 years old, Sewell will earn the bulk of his deal in salary next year. The veteran big man received just a $9,000 signing bonus to re-up with the Alouettes for two more years, which means that December payout can count against last season’s salary cap if the organization chooses.
Defensive end
1) Folarin Orimolade, Toronto Argonauts (A)
Hard money: $240,000
Maximum value: $240,000
After four seasons with the Stampeders, Orimolade turned a breakout 2022 campaign into a massive contract from Toronto in free agency. The 27-year-old took home a $100,000 signing bonus as part of his new two-year deal, which is entirely made up of hard money.
2) Lorenzo Mauldin IV, Ottawa Redblacks (A)
Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $209,000
The league’s reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player received a fitting raise this offseason, signing a one-year extension that included a $60,000 signing bonus. The 30-year-old pass-rusher can collect standard bonuses of $1,000 for a divisional all-star selection, $2,000 for a CFL all-star selection, and $3,000 for another major award win, along with $1,000 and $2,000 respectively for repeating as the division or league leader in sacks.
3) Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)
Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $200,000
At 32 years old, Jefferson is still the league’s freakiest athlete and one of its biggest characters. The perennial all-star signed a one-year extension with Winnipeg in November made up entirely of hard money, meaning his $100,000 signing bonus can count against last year’s salary cap if the organization chooses.
4) Mathieu Betts, B.C. Lions (N)
Hard money: $180,000
Maximum value: $206,000
Fans balked when the Lions made Betts the league’s highest-paid Canadian defensive lineman a year ago but he earned every penny with a career season in 2022. The 28-year-old has already received a $30,000 offseason bonus for next season and will earn an additional $1,000 for every game he plays at least 51 percent of the defensive snaps. It will cost B.C. $1,000 if he leads the division in sacks, $2,000 if he leads the league, $2,000 if he is named a divisional all-star and $3,000 if he receives a CFL all-star selection.
5) James Vaughters, Calgary Stampeders (A)
Hard money: $176,000
Maximum value: $182,000
Vaughters’ return to Calgary after four seasons in the NFL did not come cheap, as the 29-year-old edge rusher received a $35,000 signing bonus. He will also take home $1,000 for a divisional all-star selection or team award nomination and $2,000 for a CFL all-star selection or league award win.
6) A.C. Leonard, Edmonton Elks (A)
Hard money: $170,000
Maximum value: $181,000
The Riders cut Leonard to save cap space in February but he promptly cashed in with a $55,000 signing bonus from the Elks. The 31-year-old will receive an additional $278 for every game he plays more than half of the defensive snaps and has standard incentives of $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000 for being a divisional all-star, CFL all-star, or major award winner.
7) Pete Robertson, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)
Hard money: $170,000
Maximum value: $173,000
One of the two financial beneficiaries of Leonard’s release in Saskatchewan, Robertson received a $65,000 signing bonus to put his name on the dotted line this offseason. The 30-year-old’s deal is light on incentives, with $1,000 for a divisional all-star nod and $2,000 for league honours.
8) Jackson Jeffcoat, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)
Hard money: $162,000
Maximum value: $185,000
Jeffcoat received a $40,000 signing bonus as part of his latest extension with the Bombers but will collect another $13,000 after his first game. After playing just 12 regular-season games in each of the last four campaigns, the 32-year-old defensive end will earn $10,000 for hitting that mark again.
9) Robbie Smith, Toronto Argonauts (N)
Hard money: $150,000
Maximum value: $160,000
The man who blocked the game-winning field goal in the 109th Grey Cup is now being paid like a legitimate starter, inking a two-year extension with a $20,000 signing bonus this offseason. The 27-year-old can collect an extra $278 for every game he plays 51 percent or more of the defensive snaps, along with $2,500 each for leading the team in sacks and being named a divisional all-star.
10) David Menard, B.C. Lions (N)
Hard money: $147,000
Maximum value: $157,500
Menard is just one year removed from an East Division nomination for Most Outstanding Canadian and continues to be a valuable rotational player both outside and inside for the Lions. The 32-year-old took home a $20,000 offseason bonus in January and will receive $444 for every game he plays, plus an incentive of $2,500 for leading the team in sacks.
11) Nick Usher, Montreal Alouettes (A)
Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $155,000
The second year of Usher’s two-year deal with Montreal is made up almost entirely of hard money, including a $20,000 offseason bonus in February and another $20,000 once he reports to training camp. The 28-year-old will be able to max out his deal following his first game, which will earn him a cheque for $10,000.
12) Ja’Gared Davis, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)
Hard money: $132,500
Maximum value: $173,000
With six straight Grey Cup appearances under his belt, Hamilton hopes Davis’ return will be a good luck charm but he’ll have to work hard for the full value of his contract. The 32-year-old received a $15,000 signing bonus in free agency, will collect $5,000 upon reporting to training camp, and can earn $1,250 for every game he sees action. He also has incentives of $2,000 for notching 10 sacks, leading the team in sacks or leading the team in forced fumbles, while a CFL all-star selection is worth $3,000 and a league award win is worth $4,000. Davis also has some motivation to stay lean in the offseason, with a $5,000 payout for weighing 255 pounds or less on May 15.
