After an injury-plagued year, Dru Brown agreed to lower his salary for the 2026 Canadian Football League season.
The five-foot-11, 200-pound QB received a $150,000 signing bonus to restructure his agreement in January. He has a $131,000 base salary, $15,000 in marketing money, $15,000 in housing and a $10,000 travel allowance to equal $321,000 in hard money.
Brown also has $54,000 available in playtime incentives, $3,000 per game for playing 51 percent or more of the offensive snaps. He can earn an additional $12,000 in statistical, all-star and award bonuses.
- $1,000 East Division passing yards leader
- $1,000 East Division passing touchdowns leader
- $2,000 CFL passing yards leader
- $2,000 CFL passing touchdowns leader
- $1,000 East Division all-star
- $2,000 CFL all-star
- $3,000 CFL MOP
Those could bring his maximum value to $387,000.
Brown’s original contract for the upcoming CFL season had him scheduled to receive a $150,000 offseason roster bonus on January 15. That was part of an agreement which would have paid him $462,500 in hard money in 2026 with a $471,500 maximum value.
In 2025, Brown earned $366,700 playing in the nation’s capital. He dressed for 11 regular-season games last year, including nine starts while fighting through neck, hip and knee problems. No. 3 posted a 2-7 win-loss record and completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns with 10 interceptions to rank eighth league-wide in passer rating among qualified pivots.
Brown was acquired by the Redblacks leading into the 2024 season. He started 15 regular season games, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,959 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while producing an 8-6-1 record to lead Ottawa to the playoffs. The Redblacks lost 58-38 in the East Division Semi-Final to the Toronto Argonauts. Ottawa’s QB1 completed 46-of-61 passes (75.4 percent) for 487 yards with three touchdowns against two interceptions in the defeat.
The Palo Alto, Cal. native spent his first three CFL seasons as a backup for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, starting three games when Zach Collaros was out due to injury. He threw for 1,484 yards, 14 touchdowns, and two interceptions, while rushing 37 times for 113 yards with five majors.
Head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie believes when Brown’s in the pocket, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL. His performance in 2026 will play a key role in determining whether the Redblacks can get back to the postseason.
