Ottawa Redblacks sign Luiji Vilain after NFL stint

Photo courtesy: Ottawa Redblacks

The Ottawa Redblacks have officially signed Canadian defensive lineman Luiji Vilain to a three-year contract.

The 28-year-old’s CFL rights were traded from the Toronto Argonauts to the Redblacks last week in a deal that included an exchange of draft picks in 2026 and a conditional draft pick in 2027.

“I can say I’m extremely happy to be back home representing my city, my community, and the Redblacks,” said Vilain in a statement.

“Ottawa is my home, it’s where I grew up. It’s where my family is. I always knew that I would play in the CFL at some point in my career, and deep down I always wanted it to be Ottawa, so for that to happen, it’s honestly a dream come true.”

The six-foot-four, 250-pound defender spent parts of the last four seasons in the NFL. He originally signed with the Minnesota Vikings after going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft and dressed for three regular-season games as a rookie, recording four tackles.

The Ottawa native played one regular-season game with the Vikings in 2023 before being claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers, who also dressed him for one regular-season game. In 2024, he spent two weeks on the practice roster with the Cleveland Browns before joining the Dallas Cowboys, who released him last summer.

According to Spotrac, Vilain earned nearly $1.4 million USD in the NFL.

The Argonauts held Vilain’s CFL rights after selecting him in the third round of the 2021 CFL Draft. As a result of the defender signing in Ottawa, the third-round conditional draft pick Toronto received from the Redblacks in 2027 will be upgraded to a second-round draft pick.

Vilain played 26 collegiate games at the University of Michigan and Wake Forest University, recording 45 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, four forced fumbles, one pass knockdown, and one fumble recovery.

The Redblacks hold the first overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. The team will play its first preseason game against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 22 and its first regular-season game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 6.

In 2025, Ottawa finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ryan Dinwiddie was hired as the team’s head coach and general manager after the firing of Bob Dyce.