The most talked about topic of Stewart Johnston’s first year as CFL commissioner has been the rule changes he announced in September.
The changes sparked emotional conversations amongst fans, media, and players alike, even drawing a public response from BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke.
Multiple facets of the game will be modified and modernized over the next two seasons, with the 2026 wave of changes featuring a standard 35-second play clock, opposite-field team benches, and a modified rouge.
The 2027 changes will focus on the field itself, with the goalposts being moved to the back of the end zone, which will be shortened to 15 yards from the current 20. The length of the field will also shorten from 110 yards to 100.
The announcement of the changes were met with criticism from some, including the thought that they were made with the intention to “Americanize” the CFL game to make it closer resemble the NFL’s product.
Johnston insists that is not the case.
“It was so far from anyone’s thought at the league office that it was a shock,” said Johnston when asked directly if anyone at the league was trying to “Americanize” the CFL on Episode 9 of Luke Willson’s ”Film Never Lies” podcast. “Not a person, not a thought, nothing. It [the accusation] truly took us aback, because it was never a consideration. This was about some modernization of some rules that will allow our game to be exposed in the best possible light.
“…At the state of the league [address], we wanted to make sure we addressed this as clearly as possible. We are focused on what we believe truly makes the CFL game so special: three downs, 12 players, wide field, big end zones, a yard off the ball, motion, halo. When we do surveys, those are the things that come up and reflect so wonderfully about our game.”
The moves were announced after Johnston and the league spent the summer taking a look at these rules before presenting and discussing the modifications with the Board of Governors, where there was a unanimous vote in favour of the changes.
“We’ve got an amazing team at our football operations group at the league office,” said Johnston. “We spent the summer with that group, and said, let’s look at a couple of things that can modernize the game, while making sure the core of our game is absolutely protected.
“They ran the data; they did the research. The absolute catalyst of it all was taking that obstruction that’s in the middle of our field, the goalposts, and opening up our end zones. In looking at that, we realized the benefits are almost countless to moving those goalposts back.”
The moving of the goalposts is designed to allow passing offences to target the middle of the end zone more effectively and to make settling for field goals less attractive. The CFL is projecting 10 per cent more end-zone completions and 60 more touchdowns per year, better sight lines for fans in-stadium and on broadcast, and improved player safety.
“I think it is an obstruction,” Johnston said of the current goalpost location. “It affects your offence coming down, it affects your defence getting picked, it affects your punt game from your own end zone, and it affects your offensive game when you’re on your own one-yard line, [as] you’re completely blocked from half the field. It is without a doubt the most important in terms of modernizing our game.”
All the upcoming changes go hand in hand, and with the goal posts being moved back, the end zones will also be shortened by five yards. While they will still remain the largest end zone in professional football, the change is almost necessary to keep the kicking game relevant.
As for the 2026 changes, all teams will be required to have their bench areas on opposite sides of the field. The purpose is to eliminate cases where players have to run 50 to 60 yards to make a substitution.
“We talk about being a top-tier major professional sports league. I don’t think you can do that with two football benches on the same side of the field. It’s small, but I think important,” said Johnston.
Replacing the current 20-second play clock, which does not start until manually initiated by an official, will be a 35-second play clock that will automatically begin as soon as the previous play is whistled dead.
The purpose of this change is to eliminate inconsistencies across the board and to improve game flow.
“A standard play clock allows us to give an expectation of our coaches and players of how long there is between each play, and it’s not random,” Johnston said. “With benches on both sides, that issue of a long run in a substitution gets mitigated because you can have your subs much closer to the ball.”