Ottawa Redblacks release former top CFL draft pick Nick Mardner

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The Ottawa Redblacks have released Canadian receiver Nick Mardner, the team announced on Thursday.

The six-foot-six, 208-pound target made 29 receptions for 323 yards and one touchdown over 27 career regular-season games with the team. He missed the entire 2025 season due to a knee injury.

The 27-year-old dressed for nine regular-season games in a depth role this year, making three catches for 23 yards.

The native of Mississauga, Ont. was originally the second overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft. He completed his collegiate career at Auburn University but dressed only four games due to injury and didn’t record any statistics.

Mardner was previously a standout at the University of Hawaii, where he made 46 catches for 913 yards and five touchdowns to be named All-Mountain West honourable mention in 2021.

The Redblacks also released American receiver Binjimen Victor. He caught two passes for 32 yards over two regular-season games this year.

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-16) will host the Toronto Argonauts (9-7) on Friday, October 16 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. The Argonauts are coming off a bye, while the Redblacks suffered yet another loss at the hands of the B.C. Lions.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1050 in Toronto or TSN 1200 in Ottawa.