Former BC Lion Bo Lokombo has been placed on the Raiders PR after being released from the Ravens PR.
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Former BC Lion Bo Lokombo has been placed on the Raiders PR after being released from the Ravens PR.
DL Stefan Charles, who has played in 49 NFL games, after being ranked #2 for the 2013 CFL has had tryouts with the Giants, Jets, Bears, 49ers, and Patriots after being cut by the Jaguars.
Laurent-Duvernay Tardif (McGill) is a starting guard for the Chiefs - and was rewarded with a big $ contact; saw him play early this year and he was outstanding IMO - a force at OG; but he was not playing last night so i guess nicked or injured ?
Brett Jones is with the Giants - back-up C i believe.
Brent Urban (Ticat draft pick) is playing on the Ravens D at DE.
Luke Willson (TE - Argo draft pick) & Jon Ryan = Canadian contingent with the Seahawks
David Onyemata ( Manitoba Bisons/Rider draft pick) - plays on the Saints D-line; and another Rider draft pick - TE Antony Auclair (Laval)- made the Bucs roster as an undrafted FA
Tyrone Crawford (totally undrafted in the CFL = guess it was obvious he would make the NFL) plays on the Dallas D-line; and their long-snapper (one of the NFL best there) is LP Ladouceur who was drafted by the Ottawa Renegades way back.
Austin Pastzor - O-line (Esks draft pick) is with the Falcons now i believe and has had some NFL starts with other teams.
RedBlacks draft pick D-linemen - Medhi Abdesmad (2016) & Eli Ankou (2017) have been in NFL camps but not sure if they are on rosters anywhere now?
Great to see all this Canadian talent get to make the NFL (and the big buck$ that go with it).
Wish we could see them in the CFL instead though. How bout a CFL D-line that featured Crawford & Urban at DE and Onyemata & Abdesmad at DT in the rotation ?
LB and former BC Lion Bo Lokombo has a spot on the SF 49ers roster after being cut by Baltimore and Oakland earlier in the season.
https://www.cfl.ca
2017 Rider draft pick Anthony Auclair from the Rouge et Or has made his first reception in his fourth game of the season as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer TE.
http://3downnation.com/2017/12/03/ri...rst-nfl-catch/
Brett Jones is now a starter and one of the few bright spots on the Giants O-Line. Geoff Gray OG (Manitoba) is on the practice roster of the Jets. Eli Ankou is the 3rd string NT for the Jaguars
Kevin Abrams, the New York Giants assistant GM, has been promoted to interim GM after the firing of the team's GM and HC.
http://3downnation.com/2017/12/04/ca...ts-interim-gm/Quote:
Abrams, a native Toronto native and Western University graduate (philosophy) who tried to walk-on with the Mustangs but got cut in his first year at university, is in his 16th season as the Giants’ assistant general manager. He was a part of the front office staff that won two Super Bowls (2008 and 2012) under Jerry Reese, who had been the general manager for New York since 2007. He was let go along with bench boss Ben McAdoo after the team fell to 2-10 Sunday.
The 43-year-old is the lead contract negotiator for the Giants and worked with both college and pro scouting departments evaluating players for the NFL Draft and free agency. He has plenty of experience managing the salary cap and delved further into football analytics with New York. ...
Abrams has been considered for general manager positions and interviewed with the Detroit Lions for the role in 2016. Long-time NFL-personnel-man-turned-consultant Ernie Accorsi has a strong relationship with Abrams as the two worked together with the Giants for a number of years. Accorsi will consult for New York’s GM search.
Giants president and CEO John Mara said Abrams is a candidate for the full-time job.
The Giants have been at the forefront in scouting Canadian talent
Winnipeg native and Riders receiver Nic Demski scheduled to work out for NY Giants
Justin Dunk 3downnation December 8, 2017
Canadian receiver Nic Demski has a workout scheduled with the New York Giants in December.
At six-feet, 208 pounds, Demski has speed (4.56 40-yard time) to go along with a solid frame.
The 24-year-old was injured in the Riders Labour Day weekend win over Winnipeg on September 3 and he didn’t see game action after that. He started the season with two strong games, but an ankle injury and subsequent lower body setback slowed his production and kept him off the field. Demski practised with the green and white to end the season meaning he was healthy.
In nine regular season games, the University of Manitoba product recorded 19 catches for 222 yards and one touchdown and 23 punt returns for 227 yards with a long of 63.
During Demski’s draft year he attended Cleveland Brown’s rookie mini-camp.
Geoff Gray signed to Browns’ active roster
John Hodge 3downnation December 12, 2017
The Cleveland Browns have signed offensive lineman Geoff Gray to the club’s active roster.
Gray went unselected in the NFL draft this past April, but quickly joined the Green Bay Packers as a priority free agent. Gray later became a member of the New York Jets’ practice roster following training camp, a spot he held until the Browns came calling.
Cleveland is 0-13 and, just days after firing general manager Sashi Brown, has every reason to be acquiring young talent.
Gray, a product of the University of Manitoba, was selected eighth overall by his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2017 CFL draft.
Cleveland’s offensive line coach is Bob Wylie, the man who held the same role with Winnipeg from 2014 to 2016. Considering the Bombers and Bisons share many football amenities at Investors Group Field, it’s unlikely that this connection is a coincidence.
Saskie native Brett Boyko promoted to Chargers active roster
3Down Staff 3downnation.com December 18, 2017
Saskatoon product and B.C. Lions draft pick Brett Boyko has been added to the San Diego active roster and could see his first-ever NFL action this Sunday when the Chargers travel to New York to face the Jets.
The 25-year-old Boyko, a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman, has spent most of the past three years on the practice squad, first with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, then with the Chargers the last two seasons.
A top-rated CFL prospect after playing his college ball at UNLV, Boyko fell to the Lions in the third round over the (apparently very real) concerns surrounding his NFL prospects.
Boyko played – wait for it – quarterback in high school and almost came to the CFL last fall after he was released by the Chargers.
“It’s a tough deal,” Boyko told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix at the time. “NFL or CFL? What is the right place for me? I don’t know the right answer to that yet. I’m in the same boat as a lot of American players, hoping to get an opportunity later in the (NFL) season. They don’t have the CFL option. Fortunately, I have. There is some interest (on his part) in just waiting for injuries — or something to happen that would open a door for me down south. That’s my agent’s main focus right now.”
The Chargers ultimately re-signed him to a future’s contract and now he’ll suit up on Sunday so it seems like he made the call.
Riders neg lister and Canadian rugby star Adam Zaruba signs with Eagles
3Down Staff 3downnation January 3, 2018
Canadian rugby sensation Adam Zaruba is getting another NFL opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles after he signed a reserve/futures deal on Wednesday.
Zaruba worked out for the Eagles in July and attended training camp in Philly. He was released among final cuts and his CFL rights are owned by Saskatchewan after the Riders added him to the neg list in June.
The 24-year-old, six-foot-five and 265-pounder was playing tight end in training camp with the Eagles.
Zaruba played football in high school and was recruited by SFU but never took the field before turning his attention to rugby.
Canadian DB Elie Bouka released by Riders, signs with Philadelphia Eagles
Justin Dunk 3downnation January 3, 2018
Canadian defensive back Elie Bouka has signed a reserve/futures contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, per sources.
He was released by the Riders to sign that deal.
Bouka signed with Saskatchewan in 2017 and played four games making three special teams tackles. The Riders drafted the 25-year-old in the third-round, 24th overall in the 2016 CFL draft.
Bouka was initially signed by Arizona as an undrafted NFL free agent in 2016, even though he was on the mend from a torn Achilles which kept him from playing in his final year at the University of Calgary. That’s the only reason why he slid down the CFL draft board.
A hamstring setback landed the cover man on injured reserve for the entire NFL season in 2016 with the Cardinals, he made a full salary. Arizona released Bouka with an injury settlement early in 2017 training camp after he suffered an ankle setback. The ultra-athletic defender worked out for three NFL teams, the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants prior to inking his Riders pact in 2017.
Canadian DL Stefan Charles signs with Kansas City Chiefs
3Down Staff 3downnation January 3, 2018
Canadian defensive lineman Stefan Charles has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Charles had been working out for NFL teams since being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars among the team’s final cuts before the 2017 regular season. He joins the Chiefs 53-man roster and can play in the post-season, Kansas City plays Tennesse on Saturday in the AFC Wild Card round.
The 29-year-old worked out for the Giants, 49ers, Jets, Bears and Patriots. Charles has played in 49 NFL games making 60 tackles and recording five sacks over four seasons with the Bills and Lions.
Charles was drafted by Edmonton in the second round, 10th overall by the Eskimos during the 2013 CFL draft. He played university football for the Regina Rams.
RedBlacks 3rd round CFL 2017 draft pick Eli Ankou (UCLA) is on the Jags roster and played some in the last half of this season (has some tackle/sack stats) - listed on the active roster for the upcoming play-off game vs. the Bills.
Riders draft pick puts huge hit on Cam Newton in Saints playoff win
3Down Staff 3downnation January 8, 2018
David Onyemata delivered a jarring shot on Cam Newton in the Saints NFL Wild Card playoff win on Sunday.
It was only after Onyemata came to Canada and enrolled at the University of Manitoba did he begin playing football. He won the J.P. Metras Trophy in 2015 as USports football’s top down lineman and garnered an invite to the 2016 East-West Shrine Game, a U.S. college showcase event in Florida held each January that really elevated his stock. An impressive pro day held at the Bisons facility sent Onyemata up draft boards.
The Riders drafted Onyemata in the fourth round, 35th overall in the 2016 CFL draft. The Manitoba product was selected by New Orleans that same year in the fourth round, 120th overall. Since then he’s played in 32 games making 56 tackles and two sacks for the Saints.
Onyemata has made an impact with New Orleans just ask Newton how that feels.
The Riders have released Elie Bouka in order to allow him to chase a NFL contract.
http://3downnation.com/2018/01/03/ri...opportunities/
Washington Redskins have signed Canadian OL Orlando Franklin to a reserve/future contract.
http://3downnation.com/2018/01/19/ca...gton-redskins/Quote:
Franklin is a former second-round NFL draft pick with 89 starts under his belt at guard and tackle for the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers. He signed with New Orleans in 2017 but the Saints let him go early in training camp. Washington picked him up in October and he played one game for the Redskins.
Raised in Toronto, Franklin is one of a handful of national NFL veterans who were exempt from negotiation lists when the most recent league CBA was ratified. That makes Franklin free to sign with any of the CFL’s nine teams if he ever chooses to pursue a contract up north. That’s a big ‘if,’ however with career earnings over $23 million USD, money wouldn’t be a factor in Franklin coming to the CFL.
Former Eskimo 8th overall draft choice Tevaun Smith has signed a futures contract with Jacksonville after originally signing with the team in December.
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/fo...-jacksonville/Quote:
The Jaguars signed Smith to a reserve/future contract Monday, Mike Kaye of the First Coast News reports.
Smith, who went undrafted out of Iowa in 2016, spent time with both the Colts and Raiders in 2017 but didn't log a single snap with either team. While he boasts impressive speed and decent size for his position, Smith likely faces long odds of sticking on the Jaguars' active roster into the 2018 campaign.
The url below contains a list of all Canadians (and all other non-Americans) in the NFL as of the 2017 season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreig...ootball_League
Four year veteran DE Brent Urban has signed with the Baltimore Ravens, thereby avoiding free agency.
http://3downnation.com/2018/03/06/ti...d-free-agency/Quote:
Urban was selected in the second round, 15th overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2013 CFL draft.
Urban’s four years with Baltimore have been marked by injuries. He’s played in just 25 games and was healthy for an entire season only in 2016.
After being selected out of Virginia in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, Urban spent his rookie season on injured reserve after hurting his knee in training camp. ...
Urban played in only six games in 2015 because of a biceps injury. After appearing in 16 games in 2016, he made his first three NFL starts in 2017 before a foot injury ended his season in September.
The Mississauga, ON native has 25 tackles, three sacks and has blocked two field goals over his career.
The NY Giants are expected to sign Canadian OL Brett Jones in order to prevent him become a restricted free agent.
https://nypost.com/2018/03/07/giants...-here-to-stay/Quote:
Early indications are he will be the favorite to retain the starting center job he held for most of the 2017 season. ...
Jones, 26, likely will be given a second-round tender, which would cost the Giants $2.91 million for the upcoming season. As a restricted free agent, Jones would be able to seek offers from other teams, with the Giants retaining the right to match any offer. If Jones signed elsewhere, that team would give the Giants a second-round pick. Essentially, a second-round tender ensures Jones of staying put. The Giants could save money with an original-round tender of $1.9 million but would receive no compensation if Jones left, as Jones entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. ...
Jones, a native of Canada, made the Giants roster in 2015 after earning honors with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He started 13 games this past season, one at left guard and the final 12 at center. The coaching staff decided to stick with Jones as the starter even after Richburg was cleared from the concussion protocol and Richburg eventually was placed on injured reserve.
Jones is not ideal size — he is a boxy 6-foot-2 and 312 pounds — but is so technically sound that he uses his low-center-of-gravity frame to his benefit with leverage, getting underneath taller defensive tackles as a run blocker. Jones also greatly impressed the previous coaching regime with his intelligence, so much so that when the offensive linemen each week were given a quiz to see how much of the game plan installation they mastered, Jones was not required to take the test. Jones made all the line calls and adjustments, rarely making a mistake. This is no great surprise, considering when the Giants gave him the Wonderlic test, he scored 43 (out of 50). The average score for a center is 25.
Atlanta has signed National OL Austin Pasztor to a contract for 2018. He was a first round draft choice of Edmonton but has spent his entire pro career since 2012 in the NFL with Minnesota, Jacksonville, Cleveland and Atlanta.
https://www.thefalcoholic.com/2018/3...austin-pasztorQuote:
Pasztor, also 27, looked like a lock to be the team’s swing tackle in 2017 before an injury effectively forced the Falcons into making another move. They ended up swapping a fifth round pick for Ty Sambrailo, who served as the team’s swing tackle all of last season and figures to reprise that role. Pasztor, now hopefully fully healthy, could compete for the job and will at worst be in play as a deep reserve at guard and tackle. He’s a solid re-signing for this offensive line, which looks like it will be look about the same as it did a year ago barring the addition of a young center or guard in the draft.
Toronto born DT Stefan Charles has resigned with the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth year in the NFL.
http://torontosun.com/sports/footbal...stefan-charlesQuote:
After being cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars on the eve of the 2017 season he did not latch on with another team until the first week of the playoffs in January, when the Chiefs added him as emergency insurance for their defensive line. Charles did not dress for the Chiefs’ home-field loss to the Tennessee Titans.
It was Tennessee that first signed Charles as an undrafted free agent in spring 2013, after a standout Canadian college career at the University of Regina. In October 2013, the Buffalo Bills signed Charles to their active 53-man roster off Tennessee’s practice squad. He saw playing time in Buffalo’s interior D-line rotation for the remainder of that season, and in 2014 and ’15. He started twice as a Bill, played in 35 games in Buffalo and notched five sacks and 29 tackles.
The 6-foot-5, 302-pounder proved a poor fit in Rex Ryan’s defence, so upon becoming a free agent in 2016 he signed with the Detroit Lions, dressing for 12 games and getting in on seven tackles.
2012 Argo draft choice Luke Wilson has signed a one year deal with the Detroit Lions after five years and 1,172 yards with the Seattle Seahawks.
You could put together a pretty decent NFL D-line out of Canadians on rosters down there. Onyemata with the Saints has progressed well.
Love to see Luke Willson emerge with more full-time reps playing for the Lions; he looked very good with the Seahawks IMO.
Duvernay-Tardif has emerged as a top notch NFL OG with the Chiefs; and Jones has drawn some good reviews for his starts with the Giants last season; be interesting to see if Bomber draft pick Geoff Gray will stick with the re-building again Browns.
The CFL will probably never see hardly any of these guys (heard Ottawa was trying to sign draft pick D-lineman Mehdi Abdesmad, but nothing recent) - which is a shame - but great for those players to make the big NFL buck$.
The New York Giants have resigned OL Brett Jones to a $2.9 million restricted free agent contract. Jones, who played for University of Regina in college, had won Most Outstanding Rookie in 2013 and Most Outstanding OL in 2014 with the Stampeders before signing with the Giants in 2015.
https://247sports.com/nfl/new-york-g...ants-117160495
Former BC Lion ST/LB Bo Lokombo has been released by San Francisco 49ers. He bounced around the NFL in 2017 with Baltimore, Oakland and the 49ers without getting into any regular season game action, after leading the West Division of the CFL in 2015 with 24 ST tackles.
After clearing waivers in the NFL, former National Roughrider DB Elie Bouka has been placed on the injury reserve list by the Philadelphia Eagles. This means he does not count against their 90 man roster and could still make the team in TC.
Former Regina Ram and Calgary Stampeder Brett Jones, who won the 2014 CFL Most Outstanding OL, is fighting in the preseason to keep the starting centre job that he won for the last 12 games of the 2017 New York Giant season.
This year 22 Canadians have been trying to win a job in NFL TCs. One, TE Adam Zaruba, has been cut so far. In the following article, John Kryk updates what is happening with all of these Canadians.
https://torontosun.com/sports/footba...les-cut-zaruba
Jon Ryan, who is 36 years old, has asked for and got his release from the Seattle Seahawks, likely realizing his time in Seattle was up after the Seahawks drafted the younger and cheaper Michael Dickson, who performed well in the early preseason this year. With a preseason games left to be played, Ryan likely hopes to catch on with another team. After two years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ryan joined the Packers in 2006 and Seattle in 2008.
Well, that didn't take long. Jon Ryan has agreed to terms with the Buffalo Bills and is expected to sign a contract soon.
The New York Giants have traded former Calgary Stampeder National OL Brett Jones to the Minnesota Vikings for an undisclosed 2019 draft pick.
The Cleveland Browns have released 2017 Winnipeg first round draft choice Geoff Gray. He played three games for them last year and had also spent time with the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets.
Former Regina Ram 332 lb DL Akiem Hicks did his best imitation of William The Fridge Perry in ploughing through the line on a fourth down on the one yard line to score a TD. Hicks is in his third year with the Chicago Bears, after four years with four years with the Saints and one with the Patriots.
DL David Onyemata has made a successful transition from the University of Manitoba to the NFL as a New Orleans Saint. This year he has had 28 DT and 3 sacks.
http://3downnation.com/2018/12/08/ca...onal-path-nfl/Quote:
David Onyemata hadn’t played a single down of football when he arrived at the University of Manitoba in 2011. More interested in quarterly reports than quarterback blitzes, Onyemata originally came to Winnipeg from Nigeria to pursue an economics degree. ...
Onyemata’s journey from his native Nigeria to the NFL, by way of U Sports’ Manitoba Bisons, is one of the league’s most unique stories, one that would have played out much differently had he not had the confidence to show up in person to Bisons head coach Brian Dobie’s office to ask for a tryout. ...
Onyemata went on to have an outstanding career with the Bisons and was named the top lineman in Canadian university football in 2016. It was a feat made more impressive by the fact that Onyemata had to start from scratch learning football’s myriad complexities. ...
New Orleans traded up to pick Onyemata in the fourth round, 120th overall, in 2016, making him the first Bison ever taken in the NFL draft. ...
Already adept at making adjustments by evolving from football novice to star lineman with Manitoba, Onyemata then had to leave the three-down game behind him to fit in with the Saints. The conversion to the American game is perhaps more pronounced for a defensive lineman, who is used to starting a yard away from the line of scrimmage in Canadian football. “The line of scrimmage, you’re right on the ball. Like right there,” Onyemata said. “Sometimes before you make a step, you have a guard or centre on you and the contact is already there.”
There was also the intimidating transition of playing in front of a modest U Sports crowd to suiting up before a deafening mob in New Orleans, where the Saints are practically a religion. “At first, coming from a small school, you’re in front of 70,000 people,” Onyemata said. “There’s nothing that’s going to max out that feeling. The fan base out here is just insane. I don’t know how to put it. Sometimes on the field you can’t even hear the plays. It was really amazing.”
OL Austin Pasztor has signed with the Tennessee Titans. Drafted fourth overall by Edmonton in 2012 he has played in 65 games since then, including 43 starts. However, he was cut after TC this year and remained unsigned until now.
National DL Nathan Shepherd, who was on Hamilton's list of ten names on their negotiation list released in February, was also the only Canadian at the NFL Combine in 2018. His performance there led to him being drafted in the third round by the New York Jets. It took him only four months from being drafted to make the starting lineup. He now has a four year contract. The Tiger Cats may never get a chance to sign him. Congratulations to a player who had to leave SFU after one year for financial reasons and take a job before being able to return to college three years later.
http://3downnation.com/2018/12/17/ca...new-york-jets/Quote:
The jump from college to the NFL is huge but was monumental for the six-foot-four, 315-pound Shepherd, who played at Fort Hays State, a Division II school in Hays, Kan. After a stellar ’17 campaign – winning the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association top defensive player honour while leading the Tigers (11-0) to their first MIAA title – Shepherd became the first player in school history invited to the Senior Bowl, which showcases players eligible for the NFL draft. ...
“My goal was to help my team in whatever capacity it needed, but the bigger focus was to continue every day to learn how to be a pro,” Shepherd said. “That’s something I continue to strive for and while I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far, I’m still not satisfied. ...
Shepherd began his collegiate career at Simon Fraser in 2012 as a six-foot-one, 205-pound linebacker. But financial challenges forced him to leave the Burnaby, B.C., school after just one year. He returned to Toronto and entered the workforce until saving enough money to enrol at Fort Hays State for the 2015 season. Shepherd paid for his first semester while playing football as a walk-on.
“It says a lot about the man,” Jets coach Todd Bowles told the Jets’ website. “He’s determined to succeed no matter what he does. He carries himself, he works that way and I can appreciate that. You always hear about the bad stories. Any time somebody has a story like that, along with his play – obviously, his play comes first and then you find out his journey – you can appreciate the man more.”
Playing in the NFL has given Shepherd some financial stability. He signed a four-year, $US3.876-million deal with New York that included a signing bonus exceeding $987,000. ...
Shepherd is typically at the Jets’ training facility between 6:30-7:30 a.m. and remains there until roughly 6:30 p.m. with meetings and practices. And even when he leaves, Shepherd rarely has a night to himself as there’s also recovery, chiropractor appointments and studying film or reviewing gameplans on his iPad.
Shepherd said what many people don’t understand is the level of preparation that goes into the playing of NFL games. “You’re exposed to a lot more detail,” Shepherd said. “As a fan, as a viewer you get to see the finished product on Monday night, Thursday and Sunday.
OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who has been out of action since early October with a broken fibula, has been designated to return to game action for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here's an article on the American junior college star who ended up playing at the University of Regina because of recruiting violations. Pretty good for a CIS player many consider the Bears best DL.
https://torontosun.com/2017/09/05/qa...5-146a342e5d9cQuote:
An hour after the Chicago Bears’ training-camp practice concluded at Olivet Nazarene University on the sun-soaked last day of July, the Bears PR folks kindly arranged for both Hicks and starting quarterback Mike Glennon to give me some 1-on-1 interview time after practice. Fantastic. ...
Both men were ready to be interviewed, and now — with Hicks sitting in a golf cart about 30 feet away, and Glennon being directed from the podium straight toward me. Hicks and I locked eyes, and he could see for a moment I was unsure what to do. Then he smirked and shook his head. He knew before I did that I’d interview the quarterback first. ...
“Oh, NOWWWW you can talk to me. Yeah, man, I KNEW you’d talk to him first — I KNEW it. Talk to the quarterback and make the big ol’ lineman wait,” Hicks said loudly and demonstrably, in launching into his (mostly?) mock tirade.
The outsized Californian has an outsized personality, to be sure. At age 27 Hicks is in his sixth NFL season, playing out the last year of his second pro contract, a $10-million, two-year deal with the Bears. With another solid year of wreaking havoc in Chicago’s opponents’ backfields in 2017, Hicks knows he can command an outsized contract, worth many more millions of dollars come March, if not from the Bears then some other NFL club.
At age 27 Hicks is in his sixth NFL season, playing out the last year of his second pro contract, a $10-million, two-year deal with the Bears. With another solid year of wreaking havoc in Chicago’s opponents’ backfields in 2017, Hicks knows he can command an outsized contract, worth many more millions of dollars come March, if not from the Bears then some other NFL club.
Hicks has resurrected his career in Chicago. He’s arguably the team’s best defender after registering a career-high seven sacks in 2016, knocking down a couple of passes and getting in on 54 tackles — a true breakout season for him.
Not bad for a guy out of Saskatchewan. Or at least that’s where many Americans still think he’s from, after playing for two years at the University of Regina, 2010-11.
How often does Hicks get mistaken for being Canadian? “Allll the time. All the time, man,” said Hicks, who was born and raised entirely in the Bay Area of California, specifically within Sacramento County. “I don’t mind it, though. It’s sure not the worst tag you could have.” Uh, thanks. Eh?
But really. How does an American high-school football star in California wind up playing his college ball in Regina? Hicks doesn’t hesitate to answer. “I got kicked out of LSU.” Right. Coming out of high school, Hicks didn’t qualify academically to get a big-time NCAA football scholarship, so he played at nearby Sacramento City Community College. With dominating play in 2008 Hicks began to be recruited hard by the big-time universities. LSU swooped in and offered him a scholarship. But Hicks never wound up playing a down in Baton Rouge.
He’d received impermissible transportation and lodging during an unofficial recruiting visit. Furthermore, LSU’s receivers coach at the time, D.J. McCarthy, set up Hicks to live in an apartment of a former player, another NCAA violation, and McCarthy and Hicks made matters far worse by attempting to cover up that fact. Both got the boot from LSU, and the NCAA ruled Hicks ineligible. ...
McCarthy set up a meeting for Hicks with a University of Regina football coach. Hicks sums it up like this: “Canadian coach meets my LSU coach at the time, who got fired with me. They meet and they talk and he says, ‘We’d love to have your guy,’ and he flies to Colorado, meets me and we go from there. I drive to Canada from Colorado, 22 hours across the border, and became a Canadian for two years.”
What was that experience like for Hicks? How did he possibly fit in? What was it like playing alongside another future NFL player, defensive tackle Stefan Charles of Toronto? And after the NFL team that drafted him in the third round in 2012 — the New Orleans Saints — gave up on him two years ago and traded him to the New England Patriots, how did he wind up turning his career back around? ( long question and answer session follows at url below)