Photo: Timothy Matwey/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Canadian defender Josiah Schakel has retired from the CFL at the age of 26.

The six-foot, 220-pound defender made one defensive tackle and eight special teams tackles over 15 regular-season games with the Edmonton Elks in 2025, his third season with the team. He first joined the club as a free-agent in 2023.

The native of Sherwood Park, Alta. was originally a second-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders. He dressed for seven regular-season games as a rookie but was released early the following season.

In total, Schakel played 46 regular-season CFL games and made two defensive tackles and 29 special teams tackles.

“Playing in the CFL was a dream I had from when I was a child watching the Eskimos play. Luckily I’ve been able to live out that dream over the past four years. I want to thank the Edmonton Elks organization for giving me the opportunity to play for them for the past three seasons,” Schakel wrote in a statement to 3DownNation.

“I am also grateful for the friendships and connections I have made through my time playing. It was a difficult decision to retire but I knew it was the right time for me and my growing family. Football will always be a part of my life and I’m looking forward to giving back to the sport in my community.”

The University of Alberta product won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2021, naming him the top defensive player in all of U Sports football. Over 33 games with the Golden Bears, he recorded 194 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, six pass knockdowns, five forced fumbles, and one interception.

Schakel was a pending CFL free agent.

The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team’s final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the first five, going 1-4, and threw for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.

The Elks ranked ninth in net offence, ninth in net defence, and fifth with a turnover differential of plus-four. The club’s leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, leading receiver was Kaion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and leading tackler was Joel Dublanko with 80 tackles. Edmonton finished seventh in attendance with average crowds of 19,050, which was a 7.1 percent decrease from the previous year.