2023 was a good year for the CFL. Attendance was up three percent league-wide, regular season television ratings increased by 11 percent, and the Grey Cup in Hamilton was a hit.
There were a ton of key storylines, including the emergence of Chad Kelly in Toronto, a CFL resurgence in Montreal, controversial calls and suspensions, a coaching change in Saskatchewan, Bo Levi Mitchell heading east to Steeltown, a shift in the league’s schedule, and Nathan Rourke pursuing a job in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
3DownNation covered it all in 2023, leading to our annual top 10 stories of the year list. Every year, our loyal readers let us know with their clicks and comments the topics they truly care most about and, like always, this year’s list was pretty eclectic.
As we wait for the ball to drop at midnight tonight, let’s take a look back at the year that was through our most popular articles.
10. Bo Levi Mitchell on future with Hamilton Tiger-Cats: ‘I don’t foresee myself being here’ by Josh Smith
The future Hall of Fame passer wondered aloud regarding his future after Hamilton was eliminated from the playoffs in the East Semi-Final.
Matthew Shiltz started over a healthy Bo Levi Mitchell and played virtually the entire game despite struggling, throwing for 144 yards and one interception. Mitchell entered the contest late in the fourth quarter and completed one-of-four pass attempts for six yards and threw an interception in a little over five minutes of work.
It remains unclear what will happen with Mitchell in Steeltown, though we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out. He has a $175,000 roster bonus due on Jan. 15, 2024, which should force the Tiger-Cats to make a quick decision in the new year.
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9. Rock legend Dave Grohl thanks Canada for inventing football in Super Bowl commercial by 3Down Staff
The famous Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters vocalist expressed his gratitude for Canada in a Super Bowl commercial for Crown Royal in February, thanking the country for inventing football (among other things).
His claim was also accurate, according to historians. The first recorded instance of gridiron football took place in November 1861 at the University of Toronto’s University College. The sport was evolving rapidly over different parts of North America, though the rules became more standardized over time through intercollegiate competition.
A watershed moment for American football came when Harvard University and McGill University played a pair of exhibition games in 1874 as Harvard chose to adopt the Canadian rules and use them in future intercollegiate matchups.
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8. ‘Every person in this province deserves better’: former punter Jon Ryan lobbies for Riders’ head coaching job by 3Down Staff
In a quintessentially CFL turn of events, the biggest story of Grey Cup week didn’t come out of Hamilton but instead took place on Saskatchewan radio.
When retired punter Jon Ryan openly lobbied for the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ vacant head coaching job on Twitter, most social media users scoffed and scrolled on. 620 CKRM’s The Sportscage gave the Super Bowl winner a platform instead and his impassioned rant gave voice to the frustration felt by many Riders fans.
Ryan didn’t ultimately receive consideration for the top job in Regina but he seemingly manifested a perfect candidate instead. Corey Mace checked all the boxes that the Rider alum laid out in his speech and earned a ringing endorsement from the punter after his hiring.
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7. Blue Bombers suffer loss, idiotic headbutt against Riders in Labour Day Classic (& 15 other thoughts) by John Hodge
Saskatchewan defensive lineman Pete Robertson made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the Labour Day Classic as he celebrated a second-down stop by violently headbutting Zach Collaros to the turf. The play wasn’t initially penalized, though a late flag was assessed for unnecessary roughness.
3DownNation columnist John Hodge termed Robertson’s headbutt as “idiotic,” which poured gasoline on an already fiery controversy.
Fortunately, Collaros wasn’t hurt by the incident and Robertson handled it well, offering an apology and electing not to appeal the one-game suspension that was assessed by the league. It should be noted that the Texas Tech product doesn’t have a reputation for being dirty, which lends credence to the thought that this was a one-time lapse in judgment.
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6. ‘It’s stupid’: Craig Dickenson tells Riders to ‘grow up’ after practice altercation by J.C. Abbott
Teammates Eric Lofton and Miles Brown engaged in a lengthy verbal spat during practice in mid-August and Craig Dickenson, the club’s head coach at the time, condemned the incident as “stupid” and “a distraction.” He also condemned the maturity level of his young squad, adding, “We’ve gotta grow up as a team.”
Dickenson’s players ignored him at times during his tenure in Riderville, though this is one of the occasions on which they appeared to listen. Coming off a blowout loss to the Montreal Alouettes, the Riders beat the B.C. Lions after Dickenson challenged them to be better and then beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic following a bye.
Though Saskatchewan lost seven straight games after their rivalry game against Winnipeg and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, Dickenson’s comments appear to have motivated his team for at least a short while.
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5. Six candidates to be the next head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders by John Hodge
Saskatchewan’s head coaching search became the biggest story in the CFL once the club announced Craig Dickenson wouldn’t be back, as evidenced by the popularity of this article.
3DownNation reporter John Hodge broke down six candidates for the job and it turned out to be a good list as the three finalists — Scott Milanovich, Buck Pierce, and Corey Mace — were all featured. Mace was eventually hired at the end of November after making it clear how badly he wanted the job in Regina.
The native of Port Moody, B.C. drew rave reviews following his introductory press conference as he looks to lead the Riders to their first playoff berth since 2021.
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4. ‘That was nasty’: Patrick Mahomes praises Canadian QB Nathan Rourke’s viral passing touchdown in NFL preseason debut with Jaguars by Justin Dunk
Nathan Rourke was one of the top newsmakers in Canadian football this year, which came in spite of him playing south of the border as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The native of Victoria, B.C. wasted no time garnering international attention during his NFL preseason debut when he spun away from two defenders inside the pocket to throw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Qadree Ollison while being pulled to the turf.
Unbelievable effort and lower-body strength from Canadian QB Nathan Rourke to throw a 21-yard touchdown to Qadree Ollison. #Jaguars #DUUUVAL @NFLCanada #NFL pic.twitter.com/yWFGCOLKMe
— Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) August 13, 2023
The play immediately went viral on social media with two-time NFL MVP and two-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes writing “That was nasty!!!” to his 2.5 million followers.
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3. The CFL’s 15 highest-paid quarterbacks for the 2023 season by Justin Dunk
Money makes the world go ’round and that’s no different in the CFL where the league’s highest earners are always of interest to the general public.
Zach Collaros, who led the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a fourth straight Grey Cup appearance, topped the list at $600,000, followed by Bo Levi Mitchell, Trevor Harris, Jeremiah Masoli, and Jake Maier. This list is expected to change dramatically in 2024, including a new player in the No. 1 spot as Chad Kelly is set to earn $615,000 as part of a three-year extension he signed with Toronto in August.
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2. Canadian QB Nathan Rourke has final preseason appearance with Jacksonville Jaguars end abruptly by Justin Dunk
The Jaguars and Dolphins mutually agreed to end their third and final preseason game early when Miami receiver Daewood Davis suffered a head injury that caused lay motionless on the field before being taken to Baptist Medical Center for further evaluation.
Nathan Rourke entered the game for Jacksonville midway through the third quarter and completed four-of-six pass attempts for 74 yards. The final nine minutes of the game were never played, costing the young passer an opportunity to improve his production. Regardless, it’s understandable why the two teams elected not to finish the game. Davis has since made a full recovery and is now playing in the USFL.
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1. ‘They are a good CFL team’: Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton compliments Detroit Lions’ 1st and 2nd down efficiency by Justin Dunk
The veteran NFL head coach gave a shout-out to the CFL after his team was pummelled by a score of 42-17 in mid-December, hurting their postseason chances.
Detroit was ultra-efficient on first and second down as Jared Goff finished the game with five touchdown passes, while running backs Jamyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 185 yards on the ground. The Lions faced only 10 third downs all game, converting five of them to extend drives.
Payton is no stranger to the CFL, having briefly spent time as a backup quarterback with the Ottawa Rough Riders during the 1987 season. He has since gone on to bigger things, spending 16 years as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints and leading the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2009.
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