The Toronto Argonauts have signed American receiver Jeff Badet to their training camp roster.
The 29-year-old speedster played for the XFL’s Vegas Vipers in 2023, finishing eighth in the league in receiving. In nine games, he hauled in 34 passes for 448 yards and five touchdowns but was not picked up in the dispersal draft after the Vipers folded due to the USFL-XFL merger.
In 2022, Badet played one game for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers, making one catch for 12 yards before suffering a hamstring injury. He played for the Dallas Renegades in the second version of the XFL in 2020, recording 16 receptions for 108 yards in five games before the league folded.
The five-foot-11, 183-pound pass catcher began his professional career as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, spending a year on the practice squad before being released following training camp the next year. He returned to the NFL following his first stint in the XFL and was activated for three games with the Washington Commanders in 2020, recording no statistics. He later had brief stops with the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders.
Badet finished his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma, catching 26 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns from Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield in 2017. He caught the attention of NFL scouts after he was clocked running a reported 4.27-second forty-yard dash at the Sooners’ pro day.
The native of Orlando, Fla. originally attended the University of Kentucky. Over four seasons with the Wildcats, he played 36 games and recorded 82 receptions for 1,385 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Argos begin the 2024 season on Sunday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET when they host the B.C. Lions.
