The Edmonton Elks have signed two-time Grey Cup champion quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the Club announced Sunday.
Bethel-Thompson joins the Elks after spending the 2023 season with the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL), where he led the league in passing yards with 2,433. In 10 games, Bethel-Thompson threw for 14 touchdowns, while leading New Orleans to a 7-3 record.
Prior to last year, the Sacramento State product spent five seasons with the Toronto Argonauts (2017-19, 2021-22), throwing for a combined 13,261 yards and 70 passing touchdowns in 74 CFL games — including 46 as a starter.
The 35-year-old’s best CFL season was his most recent, leading the Argos to a CFL championship in 2022 when Toronto downed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 in the 109th Grey Cup. The six-foot-four pivot led the CFL in passing yards that season, throwing for 4,731 yards with 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. 2022 was Bethel-Thompson’s second Grey Cup victory with the Argos after being part of the Double Blue’s 2017 CFL title run.
A dime from McLeod Bethel-Thompson extends the Argos lead again! #CFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/fggphUaKVj
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 13, 2022
The San Francisco, Calif. native enters the 2024 season with a CFL career completion percentage of 66.8 and a passer rating of 92.4.
“McLeod brings great leadership to our football team and a proven track record of success. I’ve coached against him and seen firsthand what he can do. He’s won everywhere he’s been and has shown over and over again how well he can command the football,” said Elks head coach and general manager Chris Jones.
“He knows the CFL well and has always been well respected by his teammates. We’re a better football team with McLeod on our roster.”
An East Division all-star in 2021 and 2022, Bethel-Thompson brings NFL experience to the Elks after stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles between 2011 and 2016.
2024 marks the 75th season of pro football in Edmonton, as the Elks open a new CFL campaign on Saturday, June 8 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium. Season tickets are available now, with all youth season tickets $75 (17 and under) and adult tickets starting at $175.
The Edmonton Elks are proud members of the Canadian Football League, playing their home games at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.
The club, officially renamed the Elks in June of 2021, has a tradition of excellence having won 14 Grey Cup championships (1954-56, 1975, 1978-82, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015). Since its founding, the club has been community-owned and remains focused on providing outstanding football memories for Edmonton and all of Northern Alberta.