Photo courtesy: Tyler Ruth/Kentucky Athletics

The Ottawa Redblacks have added American quarterback Zach Calzada to the team’s negotiation list.

Calzada went viral in November for a social media video he posted featuring him talking about all the $100 bills he had and showing them on camera. The University of Kentucky reportedly paid around $1.25 million USD in NIL money to bring him in through the transfer portal.

The 25-year-old was a senior at Kentucky in 2025. He completed 48.3 percent of his passes for 238 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions, and rushed 14 times for 23 yards with one TD. The Buford, Georgia native started the first two games of the season, posting a 1-1 record, but then was replaced by redshirt freshman Cutter Boyley.

Calzada was a graduate transfer with the Wildcats after two seasons at the University of the Incarnate Word. He completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,744 yards with 35 touchdowns versus nine interceptions and rushed 105 times for 332 yards with five touchdowns in 2024. The six-foot-four, 230-pound QB led the Cardinals to an 11-3 record and earned Southland Conference Player of the Year honours.

In 2023 with Incarnate Word, Calzada completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 2,598 yards with 19 touchdowns against nine interceptions and rushed 34 times for 57 yards with one touchdown in eight starts.

Prior to playing at Incarnate Word, Calzada started 11 games for Texas A&M University in 2021. He completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions and added one rushing touchdown. As a redshirt sophomore, he posted a 7-4 win-loss record, including a 41-38 upset victory over No. 1 ranked Alabama on Saturday, October 9 that year.

CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via the negotiation list on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that they are not eligible for the Canadian or Global Drafts, and have never played in the league before. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.

Being added to a negotiation list does not mean that the player has expressed interest in the CFL, and some are unaware that their rights have even been claimed. Players can only force their removal from the list if the team does not provide them with a minimum contract offer at their request.