The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr.
The five-foot-11, 220-pounder was selected by Pittsburgh in the sixth round, 198th overall during the 2020 NFL Draft. He played four regular season games for the Steelers in his rookie season then signed with the Los Angeles Rams in September 2021. Brooks Jr. dressed in eight games while becoming a champion when the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. His earnings totalled over $1.1 million USD while in the NFL.
Brooks Jr. played one season in the XFL with the Seattle Sea Dragons, recording 28 tackles and two sacks in 2023.
In his NCAA career, Brooks Jr. played four seasons from 2016 to 2019 at the University of Maryland. He started 35 of his 40 games played as a Terrapin, producing 237 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, nine pass deflections, four sacks, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
He was a three-time All-Big 10 selection. As a senior, he was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlist, which is awarded to the best defensive player while being the Terrapin’s MVP. The Maryland native led the Big Ten and ranked ninth in the country averaging 5.8 solo tackles per game. In 2017, his first year as a starter, Brooks Jr. led the Big Ten in tackles for loss by a defensive back in the regular season with 9.5.