CFL free agency has opened and it wasn’t Montreal Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia who stole the show. Coming off a 12-5-1 record and first-place finish in the East Division, the team focused primarily on re-signing its own free agents, a lot of which was done well before the market opened.
One significant move the team made was acquiring pending free-agent quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson from the Edmonton Elks in exchange for Cody Fajardo. After signing a new contract in La Belle Province, Bethel-Thompson is the league’s highest-paid backup quarterback this year, earning $185,000 in hard money with an additional $72,000 possible in playtime incentives. Maciocia didn’t have any hesitation to give the San Francisco, Calif. native significant dollars as an insurance policy behind new starter Davis Alexander.
“McLeod is a starter in this league, in my opinion,” Maciocia exclusively told 3DownNation. “I received advice from (longtime CFL head coach and general manager) Wally Buono many years ago — he told me you need a second quarterback to win you two games in a season. We definitely have that with Bethel-Thompson.”
Bethel-Thompson is coming off a statistically strong season in 2024, producing 3,748 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with the Elks. However, Tre Ford took over his starting role towards the end of the season and has since been made “the guy” which left the 36-year-old without a spot on the team.
Maciocia also compared Bethel-Thompson’s salary with that of Cody Fajardo, who is set to receive a similar amount with the Elks this season.
“I don’t need to tell you how important these players are. We feel comfortable with the amount we invested in him. We saw it last year — the second and even the third-string quarterback saw action for us and won us games.”
That’s true. Montreal was without Fajardo in the starting lineup five times last year, four of which were meaningful games. The Alouettes won them all.
Barring any surprises, the team’s quarterback room in 2025 will include Alexander, Bethel-Thompson, and Caleb Evans, plus former NFL passer James Morgan on the practice roster.
“In the unfortunate event that we’re stranded with a Davis Alexander injury or something like that, we know we can win games with MBT,” said Maciocia. “That’s all that matters for me.”
Salary requests too high to bring back Reggie Stubblefield
One of Maciocia’s priorities during the offseason was to re-sign strong-side linebacker Reggie Stubblefield. However, he couldn’t come to terms with the native of Arlington, Texas, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats offered him a three-year contract.
According to sources, talks regarding an extension between Maciocia and Stubblefield’s agent started even before his ACL injury, which occurred during the first game of the 2024 season. They couldn’t get a deal done and never got close financially. Four teams had more interesting offers, and he finally chose Hamilton.
“It was only salary-wise,” said Maciocia regarding why he couldn’t re-sign Stubblefield. “We talked internally, and the players who have played as SAM linebacker for us, like (Adarius) Pickett, cashed out elsewhere. We found a replacement for Pickett. We have to find one for Stubblefield.”
Maciocia is confident his replacement is already a member of the Alouettes. He mentioned Najee Murray’s name but opened the door for a newcomer to swoop in and take the starting position.
“We have a salary cap to comply. We identified a nucleus, and the players we chose are here. Every year, there are surprises at training camp. We need to find the next one, that’s it.”
Stubblefield was Montreal’s nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie in 2023 after making 38 defensive tackles, three special teams tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble in 13 games, helping the Alouettes win the Grey Cup.
Josh Archibald: the new Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund?
Maciocia could barely contain his excitement about Montreal native, defensive lineman Josh Archibald coming home. He signed a two-year contract with the team.
“I like him a lot,” he said. “He reminds me a lot of Berglund. He has the same qualities, plays with a lot of passion, and can dominate on special teams. He is a quality player, he can be a starter, and he is Canadian, so he can give us some flexibility with the ratio.”
Maciocia highlighted Archibald’s limited role with the B.C. Lions. The 27-year-old was originally a third-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft and has since played 43 career games with the Lions, making 15 defensive tackles, 17 special teams tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Collegiately, Archibald made 66 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries over 28 games at McGill University.
“He didn’t really get his chance, but when he got it, he performed really well,” said Maciocia. “It’s a little bit like Berglund in Calgary.”
Maciocia hinted he will get more playing time in 2025.
The Alouettes also added offensive lineman and Quebec native Cyrille Hogan-Saindon and defensive lineman Shawn Oakman to the fold on the first day of free agency.
Both players will help boost units that didn’t meet expectations in 2024. Oakman, especially, is a massive addition for the team. The six-foot-eight, 280-pounder played 14 games with the Edmonton Elks last season, recording 32 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one interception.
