Montreal Alouettes release LB Darnell Sankey amidst ratio change

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The Montreal Alouettes have released linebacker Darnell Sankey. He was scheduled to hit free agency on February 10.

“I’d like to thank Darnell for all the work he’s done for us on and off the field over the last few years,” general manager Danny Maciocia wrote in a statement. “Not only has he been a productive player, but he’s also been an important leader for us. We’ve decided to go in a different direction at middle linebacker in 2026, and this move will allow Darnell to get a head start on free agency.”

Maciocia also addressed the media after signing Canadian linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku to an extension on Thursday and indicated that the team’s American incumbent could be on the outs.

“There is a strong possibility that there is a change at that position, and it will become a Canadian position for us,” he said in French. “(Cantin-Arku) is a player who’s entering his third year. I think he’s shown good things, he’s 27 years old, and he’s a Canadian. I’ve often said that, all else being equal, we’ll keep our best squad at home, and he has earned this opportunity. He will have a more important role, and there is a strong possibility we will change the ratio at that position.”

Sankey has been with the Alouettes since 2023, when he joined the team mid-season after a stint in the XFL and helped propel them to a Grey Cup victory. In 42 games with the team, he has amassed 239 defensive tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, and five forced fumbles, earning East Division All-CFL selection in each of the last two seasons.

“Darnell always came to work with the right attitude,” head coach Jason Maas said in his own statement. “He was an important voice in our locker room, and he was one of our leaders on the field. He went about his work in a professional manner at all times, and I appreciated having him on our team over the last few years.”

The 31-year-old has been the leader of the defence for the duration of his tenure in Montreal, but has now been phased out as part of a long-term plan to start the team’s 2024 first-round pick, Cantin-Arku.

“That is continually part of my job, not only thinking about ’26 but also ’27. You have to take a number of factors into consideration, in terms of the age of the player, American/Canadian, salary, if he fits the identity of what we want to do on defence,” Maciocia said. There are certainly meetings with Coach Maas and Coach Thorpe, and we talk about it in detail. Those are conversations that happen at the end of the year, but for us in football operations — whether it’s me, P.Y., J.M., or Marcel Desjardins — we talk about all that, even during training camp, for the next year. We have a short-term plan, a mid-term plan, and a long-term plan.”

Sankey previously spent time with the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. In 74 career CFL games, he has recorded 456 defensive tackles, eight sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and received three all-star selections.

The Alouettes finished second in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final before losing the 112th Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Davis Alexander went 7-0 as a starter during the regular season, though he missed 11 games due to a hamstring injury.

The Alouettes ranked eighth in net offence, first in net defence, and third for third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was Stevie Scott III with 418 yards, the leading receiver was Tyler Snead with 1,129 yards, and the leading tackler was Darnell Sankey with 103 tackles. Montreal finished sixth in attendance with average crowds of 21,132, which was a 0.8 percent decrease from the previous year.