Bo Levi Mitchell appears to be taking his demotion from Hamilton’s starting quarterback job in stride.
The 34-year-old future Hall of Famer was benched after just two series during Saturday night’s loss to the Montreal Alouettes, finishing the game three-of-four passing for 25 yards and an interception. Immediately after the contest, head coach Scott Milanovich announced that second-year pivot Taylor Powell, who threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns in relief, would be the starter next week against Edmonton.
Mitchell declined to speak to the media on camera after being pulled but was feeling well enough on Sunday afternoon to crack a joke at his own expense on his public Instagram story. The proud dad shared a picture of his two daughters operating a lemonade stand, suggesting that they may need to be the family breadwinners going forward.
While the amateur entrepreneurship is completely adorable, it certainly isn’t necessary. Mitchell took a significant pay cut to remain with Hamilton this offseason but will still earn $225,500 in hard money in 2024 and had already collected an additional $47,000 in playtime incentives prior to his benching.
Mitchell has been enjoying a career renaissance in 2024, completing 214-of-314 passes for 2,533 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He led the CFL in both passing yards and touchdowns entering Week 10 but was also guilty of the most interceptions during the team’s 2-7 start.
The 12-year CFL veteran started only six games during his first season in Hamilton in 2023, missing time with an adductor injury and a fractured leg. He completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,031 yards with six touchdowns and ten interceptions, posting a 2-4 record.
In 173 career CFL games, the two-time Most Outstanding Player and two-time Grey Cup champion has thrown for 36,105 yards with 212 touchdowns and 109 interceptions, including a 94-36-2 win-loss-tie record.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-7) will host the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m. EDT with Taylor Powell under centre.
