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Free agency officially opens on Feb. 10, but the communication period with free agents started Sunday and various reports have Jarell Broxton changing teams
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Published Feb 01, 2026 • 3 minute read
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B.C. Lions offensive lineman Jarell Broxton (bottom right) stretches along with the rest of his teammates during the CFL football team’s training camp in Kamloops on May 15, 2023. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content
Standout left tackle Jarell Broxton is on his way to becoming a former B.C. Lion, according to various reports.
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CFL free agency officially opens Feb. 10 but the communication window, where teams are permitted to talk to pending free agents, began today. Taylor Allen of the Winnipeg Free Press, Farhan Lalji of TSN and 3DownNation are all reporting that Broxton has agreed to a two-year deal worth $250,000 annually, which would make him the highest-paid American offensive lineman in the league.
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The deal is expected to be announced on Feb. 10.
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Broxton, 32, was named to the All-CFL team this past season, anchoring a much-improved Lions offensive line that allowed a CFL-low 20 sacks. He surrendered just 15 pressures in 16 games and had a league-best 81.2 grade on pass-blocking snaps from Pro Football Focus.
3DownNation had him as the No. 1 pending free agent on its list published Saturday. The Olney, Maryland, product joined the Lions in 2021.
Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden had talked several times this off-season in the media about trying to bring back Broxton for the coming campaign, but it was always clear that salary cap constraints were going to make it difficult to get a new deal done with him. The CFL salary cap this season is $6.28 million.
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B.C. signed Kory Woodruff, who started at left guard last season, to a two-year contract extension on Jan. 19, even though he was not a pending free agent. The press release quoted Rigmaiden as saying that the 25-year-old “also has the potential to play tackle.” That sentence felt overly intentional at the time and is proving to be foreshadowing now.
The 6-foot-3, 340-pound Woodruff, who’s from Sioux City, Iowa, started at left tackle in the two games that Broxton missed with injury and will undoubtedly get the first crack at the starting spot next season.
There are other options at play. That includes Chris Schleuger, 30, who re-signed with B.C. on Jan. 5 and has experience at both guard and tackle with the Lions. As well, B.C. re-upped Dejon Allen, 31, on Jan. 29. The right tackle was one of their key additions last season, coming over from the Toronto Argonauts in a trade. He only played five games due to a torn bicep. Lalji reported that the Lions put him through medical testing before agreeing to the new contract.
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Allen was the CFL’s most outstanding lineman in 2023. He was a two-time All-CFL selection and a three-time East Division all-star in his four seasons with Toronto.
Schleuger and Allen are among 14 pending free agents that Lions have signed to extensions. Others include receiver Keon Hatcher, running back James Butler, kicker Sean Whyte, defensive back Garry Peters and linebacker Ben Hladik.
The Lions, who lost 24-21 on the road to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Division final last season, open the 2026 campaign on June 13 with a trip to Regina. Their first home game is June 27 versus the Calgary Stampeders in Kelowna. The Lions don’t have use of B.C. Place to open the season because of FIFA World Cup. They’re back in the dome for the first time on July 25 against the Toronto Argonauts.
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