The season ended earlier than expected for the Toronto Argonauts. For the next few days, the team’s coaching and management teams will look back at 2025, self-evaluating a season that did not live up to the organization’s lofty standards.

After a long look in the mirror, attention will quickly turn to the 2026 season.

At this time of the season there is usually some confusion among fans about which players are under contract for the upcoming season, and which players could become free agents next February.

With that in mind, Argonauts.ca offers a breakdown of who is under contract and who needs to be signed.

QUARTERBACK: The Argos will have all five quarterbacks back for another season. Argos Most Outstanding Player Nick Arbuckle, Jarret Doege, Tucker Horn, and Max Duggan are all under contract for 2026, as is Chad Kelly, looking to return from an injury that cost him the entire 2025 season.

Arbuckle, the 2024 Grey Cup MVP, threw for almost 4,400 yards and 26 touchdowns in essentially 14 games, missing three and being injured in the first series of another. Kelly was the league MOP in 2023 and played well in 2024 before being injured in the Eastern Final. This pair would give the Argos the best one-two quarterbacking duo in the CFL.

RUNNING BACK: This was a position that was a carousel this season, with four different players starting games and Khalan Laborn also getting reps. There are three running backs signed for the ’26 campaign: Miyan “Chop” Williams, Deonta McMahon, and Spencer Brown. Not signed is fullback Felix Garand-Gauthier.

Williams suffered a head injury in Ottawa in the fourth game of the season and did not return to the lineup for the remainder of the year.

RECEIVER: Perhaps the Argos best position in terms of depth will return a strong corps with the potential to re-sign other significant contributors. Scheduled to return next season are starters Damonte Coxie, Makai Polk, the team’s Most Outstanding Canadian Kevin Mital, and Jake Herslow. Also signed is Ezechiel Tieide, who signed with the team October 7 and played in Calgary in the season finale.

The potential free agents are notable though; DaVaris Daniels, Dave Ungerer III, and Dejon Brissett, the team’s leading receiver with 907 yards.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A unit that couldn’t stay healthy last season, starting nine different positional combinations, hardly a recipe for success. The team has ten of its members under contract for next year. Argo nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Peter Nicastro is joined by Ryan Hunter, Sage Doxtater, Anthony Vandal, Darius Ciraco, Anim Dankwah, and John Bosse as National players all set to return.

Americans under contract are Brandon Kemp, George Moore, and Josh Donovan, who was signed from the practice roster earlier this week. There are three potential free agents, all of whom are nationals: Dylan Giffen, Shane Richards, and Ryan Sceviour.

DEFENSIVE LINE: There are eight players still under contract in this group. There are five ends: Derek Parish, Da’Marcus Johnson, Jeremiah Ojo, Tyson Hergott, and Andrew Chatfield Jr., who led the team with seven sacks.

Defensive Tackle Demarcus Christmas is hopefully ready to come back from a serious injury that cost him all but two games this season. Other interior linemen signed are Ricky Correia and Joe Wallace. There are four potential free agents on the d-line: Anthony Lanier II, Thiadric Hansen, Bryan Cox, and J-min Pelley.

 

LINEBACKER: There’s some work to be done here as this is the potentially hardest hit group on the team. The free-agent list consists of Wynton McManis, Isaac Darkangelo, Jack Cassar, Brian Harelimana, Jordan Herdman-Reed, and Ryder Varga.

The returning backers in 2026 includes the Argos Most Outstanding Defensive Player Cameron Judge. Also signed are Aaron Casey, Stephen Smith, and Simon Chaves, who filled in as the long snapper when Adam Guillemette was injured, but who also played some special teams in the last two games of the season.

DEFENSIVE BACK: We’ll include Brendan Dozier in this group of potential free agents, as he manned the strongside linebacker spot for the second half of the season. He’ll potentially be joined by Benjie Franklin and Kenneth George Jr., who is still recovering from a serious leg injury.

The Argos have under contract their Most Outstanding Rookie Derek Slywka, along with Tarvarus McFadden, Willie Drew, Delonte Hood, Darius Bratton, Jonathan Edouard, and Tyshon Blackburn.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The kickers are back. The team’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Lirim Hajrullahu and punter John Haggerty have signed deals for 2026. Potential free agents are returner Janarion Grant, and long snapper Adam Guillemette.

PRACTICE ROSTER: The following players finished the season on the practice roster and will become free agents the day after the Grey Cup game: defensive back Nicolas Toomer, receiver Tyler Kahmann, offensive linemen Hampton Ergle and Dre Dorian, running back Peny Boone, receiver Dorian Anderson, defensive ends Brevin Allen and Greg Reaves, and kicker Alfredo Gachuz.