CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston won’t guarantee league will never switch to four downs

Courtesy: CFL.

CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston isn’t guaranteeing the league will never switch to four-down football.

“I don’t offer guarantees [about staying with three downs permanently],” Johnston told 3DownNation directly at Hotel X in Toronto on Monday. “I don’t say the word ‘never.'”

The 54-year-old, who was born in Toronto and raised in Ottawa, spoke to 3DownNation one-on-one after unveiling multiple rule changes for 2026 and 2027. Among the alterations are a shortened field, smaller end zones with uprights moved to the back, a modified rouge, and a new clock system.

“I will alleviate [fan anxiety] by saying … we truly believe in 2027, when these changes are fully in effect, we will have opened up the canvas of our game — our playing field — to the incredible entertainment value that’s already there, and that includes three downs, 12 players, 65-yard wide field, waggle, yard off the ball, no yards, all of that,” Johnston said.

“That’s what we’re trying to expose and we think that these new field dimensions — and, in particular, taking those huge metal obstructions out of the visual of our most important area on the field, the end zones — I think it’s going to be so amazing for the game that we have. I never say never because this world moves fast. Some folks have asked me, ‘Why are you moving so fast?’ It’s because the world moves fast. We’ve gotta work at pace, work with urgency, and achieve the goals we want to achieve.”

That presser was held one day after the league sent out a press release promising “significant changes to the game.” Fans spent the next 24 hours questioning what would change — especially the possibility of throwing out three downs in favour of four.

Though it sounds like Johnston and the board of governors are done with rule changes for now, take his word for it: there’s no guarantee the CFL will play three-down football forever.

“I think you’re going to hear a lot from myself and the league with exciting announcements over the next coming weeks and months. We’re not focused on rules — of course, we have a rules committee, and it will annually look to tweak and improve our game, but we have a lot of other exciting announcements we’re working on and that’s our focus,” Johnston said.