EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks have signed American defensive lineman Jared Brinkman to an extension through the 2027 season, the team announced Thursday.
“I truly love playing under coach Kilam and his staff,” Brinkman said. “His leadership and vision are the reason I want to be in Edmonton. The locker room we have is full of a group of guys I want to go to battle with everyday.”
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Brinkman (six-foot-two, 290 pounds) will enter his second season with the Double E after a 2025 campaign that saw the defender post career highs in games played (16), defensive tackles (23), while recording two sacks and three tackles for loss.
The 26-year-old joined the Green and Gold as a free agent in 2025 after a three-year stint with the Toronto Argonauts. While with the Boatmen, Brinkman dressed in 22 games over three seasons, recording 31 defensive tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble. The stout run defender was also a two-time Grey Cup Champion while with the the Argonauts (2022, 2024).
Brinkman spent his college career at Northern Iowa from 2017 to 2021 where he accumulated 209 total tackles, 39.5 tackles-for-loss, 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles in 55 games for the Panthers — and was named Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year twice (2020, 2021).