The Edmonton Elks didn’t reach out to Tre Ford prior to signing McLeod Bethel-Thompson on a deal that will almost surely make him the team’s starting quarterback.
“I don’t coddle these guys. Some people in this new-school era, they coddle these players. We signed a three-technique, I didn’t call Sam Acheampong to see what his opinion was. We make the decisions based off what we feel like makes our football team better,” head coach and general manager Chris Jones told the media via videoconference on Monday.
“We certainly respect everybody that we have that’s in our uniform. [Ford’s] a big part of what we have moving forward, he’ll be a big part of what we’re doing. He’s a tremendous talent and he’s certainly intriguing for our league but to say that we involved him in the process, that wouldn’t be accurate.”
Ford started the final 10 games of the 2023 regular season in Edmonton, leading the club to a 4-6 record. The Elks went 0-8 to start the season prior to Ford taking over the controls with Taylor Cornelius and Jarret Doege at the helm.
Jones criticized Ford’s performance during practice this past season, though it’s clear he hasn’t given up on the young passer, who he selected with a first-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft out of the University of Waterloo.
“He’s got tremendous talent. We still have very much confidence that he’s gonna develop. He reminds me a lot of Zach (Collaros) when Zach got into the league. And if you look at it, he only started probably less than 30 or right at 30 [U Sports] football games. He got hurt his first year (in the CFL) only after one game, so he essentially is in his second year this year,” said Jones.
“He’s one of the most dynamic athletes that dresses weekly in our uniform and across the league. He is a dynamic, dynamic player. Now it’s a matter of him just doing the natural maturation process that takes place in a quarterback. But he’s a great kid, works hard, and the future’s bright.”
Ford threw for 2,069 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions this past year and carried the ball 66 times for 622 yards and three touchdowns. Jones indicated the club isn’t going to extend his contract before the season as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, which will pay him $79,000 with playtime incentives maxing out at $86,500.
Bethel-Thompson, who spent this past year in the USFL as a member of the New Orleans Breakers, is reportedly set to earn upwards of $500,000 in Edmonton in 2024, making him one of the league’s highest-paid players. The two-time East Division all-star has thrown for 13,261 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 49 interceptions over 74 career CFL games.
