5 pending free agents who had career-best seasons

Timing, they say, is…well, you know.

It can be the difference between a big first down catch and a pick-six the other way. Between a sack and a touchdown pass.

Then there’s the timing of having a career year just ahead of free agency. That sort of thing does nothing but help a player when it comes to negotiations on a new deal.

With that in mind, here are five players whose timing couldn’t be better, with potential free agency looming for them in February.

A.J. ALLEN | LINEBACKER | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

A.J. Allen says not today!

Saskatchewan snags their second interception of the quarter!#CFLGameDay
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🇨🇦: TSN, RDS
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/d5DYLSmPe4

— CFL (@CFL) October 4, 2025

In his fourth season in the CFL, A.J. Allen stepped up in a large, large way, jumping in as a starter in Week 2 and turning 2025 into, by far, his best year.

The 27-year-old native of Burlington, ON finished in a tie for sixth place (with Montreal’s Tyrice Beverette, no less) with 109 total defensive plays made, including 87 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles, three interceptions and five knockdowns.

That was plenty good enough to be named Saskatchewan’s Most Outstanding Canadian.

Allen finished with one more defensive tackle than fellow Roughrider linebacker Jameer Thurman, who ultimately was named the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

JACOB ROBERTS | LINEBACKER | CALGARY STAMPEDERS

LB Jacob Roberts gained four sacks in 2025 for the Stampeders (Candice Ward/CFL.ca)

The Stampeders have a handful of pending free agent players who enjoyed career-best seasons in 2025, but since a lot of the focus has already been on the likes of Clarence Hicks, Jaylon Hutchings and Dedrick Mills, I’ll pivot to middle linebacker Jacob Roberts here.

In his second CFL season, the 24-year-old from Charlotte, NC shot to prominence, finishing fourth in the league in defensive tackles with 93, and he wound up tied with Ottawa’s Adarius Pickett in total defensive plays with 112, tying for fourth spot in that category.

In 2024, Roberts appeared in six games, totalling four defensive tackles. He had that many sacks alone, in 2025.

Roberts regularly stopped ball carriers on D and he also chipped in on specials, with nine special teams tackles last year.

KEESEAN JOHNSON | RECEIVER | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

After a very good first year in the CFL in 2024 (56 receptions for 746 yards), KeeSean Johnson soared even higher in 2025, pulling down 86 receptions for 1,136 yards, with nearly 400 of those yards coming after the catch.

The numbers would have been even greater had the 29-year-old California native not had to miss the final two games (and the post-season) with a knee injury.

In 16 games, Johnson wound up fourth in the CFL in yardage, and he led the league with 39 second-down conversion catches.

DEJON BRISSETT | RECEIVER | TORONTO ARGONAUTS

After an injury-plagued 2024 slowed him down, Dejon Brissett emerged as a ball-catching force for the Argos, appearing in all 18 games and leading the team in receiving yardage.

With 65 receptions for 907 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, the fifth-year veteran blew well past his previous career highs, which came in 2023 when he caught 38 balls for 594 yards.

The 29-year-old Mississauga, ON native had one of the best reception rates of any of the regularly-targeted receivers in the league at 76.5 percent.

STAVROS KATSANTONIS | DEFENSIVE BACK | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

The hard-hitting defensive back set a new personal standard in tackles in 2025, finishing the season with 69, besting his 2024 total of 56.

In the category of ‘thievery’ the 29-year-old UBC grad pulled down six interceptions last year (tying him for the league lead), one better than his old high of five, accomplished in 2023.

With 89 total defensive plays in 2025, Stavros Katsantonis was second-best among all defensive backs in the CFL, behind only Edmonton’s Kordell Jackson (94).

Katsantonis was named the best at his position last season, his first selection as an All-CFL safety.

5 pending free agents who had career-best seasons

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