Edmonton Elks release kicker Boris Bede ahead of offseason roster bonus

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

The Edmonton Elks have released kicker Boris Bede ahead of a $28,000 offseason roster bonus that was due on Feb. 1.

The 35-year-old finished last in the CFL in field goal percentage this past season, his first in Edmonton, making only 27 of 34 attempts (79.4 percent). Several of his misses came from relatively short range as Bede had the second-fewest tries from outside of 40 yards of any qualifying kicker in the CFL, leading to him being benched twice.

The native of Toulon, France signed a lucrative two-year deal with the Elks last offseason and was scheduled to make $125,000 in hard money against the cap in 2025, plus another $7,000 in marketing.

Bede has been in the CFL since 2015 when he signed with the Montreal Alouettes. He has made 274 of 330 field goal attempts (83.0 percent), 273 converts, and punted 649 times for an average of 44.5 yards over 144 career games with the Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts, and Elks.

The six-foot-four, 225-pound product of Université Laval is a three-time All-East Division selection and won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2022.