A holiday gift for every CFL team

With apologies to the great Andy Williams, this is not “the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

That, traditionally, comes in June, yeah?

But this is a close second, I’d grant that.

Happy Holidays, football fans.

As we celebrate the season of giving — while looking ahead to the season of footballing — here are some appropriate gifts for each of the CFL’s nine teams.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Peace of mind over a major move.

Middle linebacker Darnell Sankey has been a leader in Montreal, a heart and soul linchpin of a ferocious Alouettes’ defence.

But the team has decided to make the gutsy, gulp-inducing move of releasing the 31-year-old after two-and-a-half seasons and 239 tackles, 101 of them last season alone.

However the Als decide to fill that big space in the middle of the defence, their gift would be to be right about the decision.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Dru Brown all season long.

It’s been tantalizing to see Dru Brown, when healthy, progress as a CFL starter. It’s been equally frustrating to watch him play nicked up, or not at all for stretches and that’s been the case in each of his two seasons in Ottawa.

Good health and a 4,500 yard season for Brown would be a welcome gift for the REDBLACKS.

Be a great gift for Brown, himself, too.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

A Holley jolly season.

Defensive lineman Ralph Holley was a fearsome force for Toronto during their 2024 Grey Cup-winning season and they missed him greatly in 2025.

Now, after a year away, the highly-disruptive interior lineman is back and Toronto could really use him in top form to be a catalyst in kick-starting the defence.

Toronto’s D needs a little something, finishing as the eighth-ranked unit in the CFL last season.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Juuuust a little more juice.

Does it seem like the Ticats were one of the offensive ‘Big Play’ kings in 2025?

They were, in reality, seventh in the CFL with 33 offensive big plays (20+ yards rush, 30+ yards pass).

Overall, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 28 passes of 30 or more yards and attempted — by far and away — the most passes of at least 20 yards (118), completing just 43.2 percent of them.

Hamilton’s offence was rather formidable last season. Imagine it with even a modest uptick in deep ball connectivity in 2026.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

A more robust air attack.

A number of factors came into play in weakening Winnipeg’s passing game in 2025, like the departure of receiver Kenny Lawler in free agency and yet another injury to Dalton Schoen.

And an up and down year from veteran quarterback Zach Collaros, who threw almost as many interceptions (16) as he did touchdown passes (17).

The Blue Bombers fell to the bottom of the CFL in passing yardage last season, averaging a mere 235 yards per game.

They were also last in passing efficiency rating, grading in at 86.1 as a team.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

A consistent roster of receivers.

The Grey Cup champs are that hard-to-buy-for friend you’ve got on your list. What could they really use?

A fleet of receivers that doesn’t change over and over again due to injuries, the way it did in 2025.

Quarterback Trevor Harris did just fine even with all the switcheroos going on last season, throwing for over 4,500 yards and 24 touchdowns.

But what might he do in 2026 if the Riders get the gift of personnel consistency at the position?

EDMONTON ELKS

A decent start next season.

It’s been an all-too familiar tune for the Elks and their fans over the last handful of years. Terrible losing skids to begin new campaigns.

Oh-and-nine in 2023. Oh-and-seven in 2024.

Last year, Edmonton stumbled out of the gate at 1-6, and that includes two losses in quarterback Cody Fajardo’s first two starts, in Weeks 8 and 9.

With Fajardo back in 2026 after leading the team to respectability over the second half of last season, the Elks want a good start in 2026 as much as Ralphie wanted a Red Ryder Carbine-action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle in “A Christmas Story.”

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Gift cards from the free agency store.

Retention is the name of the game for the Stampeders, who have a big list of terrific players who are pending free agents come February.

They’ll want to keep as many of those stars as they can, of course, but if they cannot, they’ll need to spend elsewhere, building towards what they hope will be a hometown appearance in the 113th Grey Cup game.

BC LIONS

A little more discipline.

The Lions tallied up more penalty yards than any other team last year, with 1,388 yards altogether, averaging 77.1 yards per game, taking a league-high 61 defensive penalties.

BC finished second-worst in total infractions per game, at 7.9 per.

Does this seem like a rather dull gift?

Well, ya gotta get off the “naughty” list before you get the good stuff.

A holiday gift for every CFL team

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