The National Football League playoffs kick off on Saturday, with the 14 remaining franchises vying for a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas, Nev. on February 11.
The slate is loaded with superstar names from Patrick Mahomes to Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Donald and Micah Parsons. But for Canadian football fans, the quest to find a team once your favourite has been eliminated can come down to a more personal connection.
In the tiny world of professional football, virtually everyone on an NFL roster will have a friend, family member or former teammate who has spent time in the CFL. However, only a small number of people vying for Super Bowl LVIII have actually played or coached in Canada.
Here is every player, coach, and player personnel executive in the 2024 NFL playoffs with direct experience in the great white North.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) —
The Steelers have no Canadian connections on their roster but boast a handful of tenuous ties on the coaching staff. That is led by offensive line coach Pat Meyer, who held the same role with the Montreal Alouettes in 2012, while assistant quarterbacks coach David Corley spent time throwing the ball for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2003 and Calgary Stampeders in 2006.
Both of the team’s coordinators also spent time north of the border as players, as offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner was in training camp with Edmonton in 2002 and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin had a cup of coffee with Hamilton after playing for the WLAF’s Montreal Machine. That all feels a little ironic for a team that fired a play-caller named Matt Canada earlier this year.
7. Green Bay Packers (9-8) —
More than 36 years after he won Most Outstanding Player with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Clements is still active in the NFL and serves as QB coach for Jordan Love. He isn’t the only legendary old head in Green Bay either, as equipment manager Gordon ‘Red’ Batty is still a staple at Lambeau after getting his start in the business as a ball boy with his hometown Montreal Alouettes in 1974.
Other connections around the Packers include Toronto-born chief of staff Darryl Franklin and offensive quality control coach Rob Grosso, who used to scout for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Player personnel executive Lee Gissendaner was a receiver with the Argos in 1995, while director of college scouting Matt Malaspina spent parts of two seasons as a centre with the Shreveport Pirates.
6. Miami Dolphins (11-6) —
The province of British Columbia can proudly boast safety Jevon Holland amongst its native sons, as he put up 74 combined tackles, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, an interception and a defensive touchdown this season while sporting his signature B.C. Lions tattoo. The community is likely to be less proud of Abbotsford’s Chase Claypool, who continues to underwhelm at the receiver position after being traded for a second time.
Miami has no players or staff with CFL experience, though senior personnel executive Reggie McKenzie did suit up for the defunct Montreal Machine.
6. Los Angeles Rams (10-7) —
Rams House has a fairly crowded Canadian dormitory and Oakville’s Michael Hoecht has the top bunk, as the fourth-year outside linebacker set new career highs with 81 combined tackles and six sacks this year. He narrowly called dibs over Windsor’s Alaric Jackson, who has been the team’s full-time starter at left tackle this season. Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ tight end Nikola Kalinic also has his spot on the practice roster, making it one more York Lion in the NFL than the school has recorded wins in the last three years.
Former CFL kicker Brett Maher will also be continuing his journeyman career with the Rams in the playoffs. Even the video department has some Canadian flair, as video director Daniel Dmytrisin hails from Calgary and got his start with the Stamps.
5. Cleveland Browns (11-6) —
Assistant general manager and vice-president of football operations Catherin Raiche helped turn a moribund franchise like the Browns into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Montreal native cut her teeth in the front offices of the Alouettes and Argonauts before becoming the highest-ranking female executive in the NFL.
Also behind the scenes in Cleveland is former Edmonton offensive coordinator Carson Walch, who serves as director of player development. Cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch also spent three seasons as a linebacker in Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2009 and offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe had a brief stint on the Alouettes’ practice roster in 2014, though he is currently injured and on PR.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) —
Philly has been in a bit of a tailspin lately but their Canadian content is what took a real nose-dive when safety Sydney Brown tore his ACL, ending a very promising rookie season for the London, Ont. native. At least CFL fans can be satiated by the continued influence of senior offensive assistant Marcus Brady, who has turned his tenure as a quarterback and offensive coordinator with the Ticats, Alouettes and Argos into a very nice NFL career.
Beyond Brady, the pickings are slim, though assistant director of college scouting Ryan Meyers did some scouting for Toronto in the early 2010s.
4. Houston Texans (10-7) —
The Texans have become a feel-good underdog pick this postseason and nobody exemplifies that more than John Metchie III. After missing his entire rookie season while battling leukemia, the Brampton, Ont. product has caught 16 passes for 168 yards this year. He is joined in Houston by another Canadian receiver in Peterborough’s Jared Wayne, who is currently on the practice roster injured list.
On the sideline, former CFL quarterback and Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Danny Barrett remains the team’s running backs coach while adding assistant head coach responsibilities under Demeco Ryans. Quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson had a stop with Montreal in 2014 before overseeing C.J. Stroud’s arrival this year and assistant defensive line coach Rod Wright played for the Riders in 2010 and 2011.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8) —
The Buccaneers are an unlikely playoff team but what else do you expect from a roster that one of the best CFL-to-NFL players ever helped shape? Shelton Quarles turned two seasons with the B.C. Lions into a Pro Bowl stint with Tampa Bay as a linebacker, before jumping to the front office. He is now employed as the franchise’s director of football operations.
Only one other person on staff boasts CFL experience, as defensive line coach and run game coordinator Kacy Rodgers suited up for the Shreveport Pirates in 1994.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6) —
Tim Terry didn’t spend long with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999 but he was able to take home a Grey Cup ring for his troubles. It is crazy to think that the Chiefs’ director of player personnel and pro scouting could collect his fourth Super Bowl ring as a scout — he won one in Green Bay — before that CFL franchise is able to win another championship.
In addition to Terry’s brief CFL stint, assistant special teams coach Andy Hill also spent training camp with the Stampeders in 1996.
3. Detroit Lions (12-5) —
If you ever wondered what happened to Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett after he was forced to retire from the Edmonton Elks without ever taking a snap, it turns out he landed on his feet as the assistant quarterbacks coach with the resurgent Detroit Lions.
He shares a coaching staff with defensive quality control coach Wayne Blair, a native of Toronto who was a first-round supplemental draft pick of the Calgary Stampeders in 1999 before uneventful stints with the Alouettes and Argonauts.
2. Buffalo Bills (11-6) —
The Bills’ Canadian content has taken a hit since they released defensive tackle Eli Ankou earlier this week, but rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid revealed in the offseason that he’s a dual-citizen. With 73 receptions for 673 yards and two touchdowns in 2023, Canada is happy to claim him and he isn’t the only player in Buffalo entitled to a passport. Injured safety Taylor Rapp also has Canadian parentage and could rep the maple leaf if he chose.
The entire Bills roster has an influence from north of the border, as University of Guelph graduate and former Argonauts scout Curtis Rukavina serves as co-director of pro scouting with Chris Marrow, who previously worked for the B.C. Lions. Assistant defensive line coach Marcus West also spent time playing for Hamilton in 2007.
2. Dallas Cowboys (12-5) —
America’s team isn’t quite as Canadian as it was a few years ago but Ottawa’s Neville Gallimore continues to hold it down on the defensive interior, notching 15 tackles and a sack this year. Former Saskatchewan Roughrider offensive lineman and UBC graduate Dakoda Shepley continues to stick around on the practice roster, while All-Pro Brandon Aubrey spent some time north of the 49th back when he was playing soccer with Toronto FC.
On the coaching staff, offensive assistant Evan Harrington spent time with Edmonton in 2012 but the real star is in the weight room. Strength and conditioning coach Harold Nash Jr. spent 11 seasons in the CFL as a defensive back with Shreveport, Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton, earning all-star honours on three occasions.
1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4) —
The Ravens pass-rush has a Canadian flare, as Guelph native Tavius Robinson has chipped in 26 tackles and a sack in his rookie year. He’s part of a rotation that also includes grizzled Mississauga veteran Brent Urban, who has posted 22 tackles and a career-high of three sacks in his 11th NFL season.
From a coaching perspective, there are plenty of CFL alumni on staff, as assistant wide receivers coach Keith Williams caught passes for Saskatchewan from 1995 to 1996 and quarterbacks coach Tee Martin famously played two seasons with the Bombers in 2004 and 2005. Offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris had two separate stints coaching the position in the three-down game, working with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1990 and Memphis Mad Dogs in 1995. Baltimore legend O.J. Brigance still retains his title of senior advisor for player engagement and will go down in history as the only player to win a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl in the same city.
1. San Francisco 49ers (12-5) —
One of the longest-serving CFL alumni in the NFL may be getting his last shot at a Super Bowl with San Francisco, as former Hamilton Tiger-Cats safety Erik Harris resides on the team’s practice roster. Now in his eighth NFL season, he has been activated for three games down the stretch this year.
Also helping the Niners is linebackers coach Johnny Holland, who coached with the Riders in 2013 before a two-year stint with the B.C. Lions.
