Hamilton Tiger-Cats bring back Nik Constantinou, sign one other

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed Global punter Nik Constantinou and American linebacker Daveren Rayner, the team announced on Monday.

Constantinou recently attended training camp with the Cleveland Browns, though he was waived near the end of August. He punted twice for 108 yards in Cleveland’s first preseason game, but did not attempt a kick in the two following contests.

In 2025, the 26-year-old punted 90 times for a gross average of 48.3 yards and a net average of 38.0 yards with the Tabbies.

The native of Melbourne, Australia was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 CFL Global Draft. As a CFL rookie that same year, he punted 102 times for a gross average of 47.1 yards and a net average of 36.8 yards

Constantinou played collegiately at Texas A&M University, where he was named first-team All-SEC in 2021 and second-team All-SEC in 2022.

Rayner played collegiately at the University of Kentucky, where he recorded 69 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, and two interceptions in 2025. He had a previous stint at Northern Illinois.

The 24-year-old signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent earlier this year but was waived at the conclusion of training camp.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) will host the Montreal Alouettes (10-3) at Hamilton Stadium on Friday, September 18 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Alouettes lost 48-29 in a gritty game against the B.C. Lions, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal or the Ticats Audio Network.