The Montreal Alouettes are keeping close tabs on receiver Austin Mack following his release from the Atlanta Falcons.
“He’s going to take time to see if there are any other NFL teams interested in his services. We should have a better idea in the next few days,” Maciocia told the media in Montreal. “We’ve got to respect his wish to play in the NFL. We know how he feels about Montreal and the things we’ve been doing here.”
The 26-year-old caught 78 passes for 1,154 yards and four touchdowns with the Alouettes last season, helping them upset the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup. He was named a CFL all-star, drawing interest from the NFL and signing with the Falcons.
Mack was targeted once during Atlanta’s recent 20-13 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins but didn’t register a catch and was released on Monday. His exclusive CFL rights still belong to the Alouettes, who appear to have room under the salary cap to bring him in.
“It’s something we had planned before the season, we were ready for players that could have been cut in the NFL,” said Maciocia. “We’re gonna be patient and we should have a better idea in the upcoming days.”
Mack isn’t the only player down south the Alouettes are monitoring as Lwal Uguak, who was selected by Montreal with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 CFL Draft, is in training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had a promising rookie season in Montreal last year, making 16 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Jonathan Sutherland, the team’s other first-round pick from that same draft, is currently a free agent after being released by the Seattle Seahawks. He has reportedly worked out for the Denver Broncos and Falcons since his release from Seattle last month.
Franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo, who has missed the team’s last two games with a hamstring injury, was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday. Davis Alexander, who threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns in his first career CFL start last week, was absent from practice for personal reasons, though he is expected to return on Wednesday.
Head coach Jason Maas declined to update the status of Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot, who didn’t practice due to a foot injury.
The Montreal Alouettes (8-1) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-3-1) on Friday, Aug. 16 with kickoff slated for 9:00 p.m. EDT.
Editor’s note: Maciocia’s quotes were translated from French.
