EDMONTON – We’re less than one week removed from the 2025 Grey Cup, but the Elks have been quickly taking care of their offseason business.

In the last few days, the Club has announced extensions for defenders Robbie Smith, Noah Curtis, Kordell Jackson, and Jordan Williams – adding to the work VP of Football Operations & General Manager Ed Hervey took care of in October and November with new contracts doled out to cornerstones like Justin Rankin, Tyrell Ford, and Kaion Julien-Grant.

The moves to retain the Elks top players is part of a larger strategy by the organization to continue to build up their roster and stop the revolving door of talent that has afflicted the team over the last several seasons.

“We want continuity on the entire roster. That’s kind of the big challenge that we’ve faced here over the years is players wanting to remain here in Edmonton,” Hervey said.

“We were able to build some momentum toward the end of the year and we’re offering opportunities for guys to continue that momentum, and that’s something that’s very important to us.”

Robbie Smith continues to bolster the Elks National talent on the D-Line

Edmonton experienced their fair share of ups and downs over the course of the 2025 season. A 1-6 start put the team on the back foot heading into the final two thirds of the season, but the Elks didn’t quit. As the defence rounded into form and the team built chemistry with one another, the Green and Gold charged back winning six of their next nine, bringing a West Division playoff spot into play heading into Week 20.

The early season stumble proved too much for the Double E to overcome, but the team’s recent moves are intended to be the remedy heading into 2026. The new Football Operations and Coaching staffs saw Edmonton with more changes than most of their Canadian Football League competition last year, but that certainly wont be the case in the coming campaign.

“When we started the year, we were probably the only team that did not have what the other teams had, which was continuity of the roster,” Hervey said.  “As we were building, and the continuity was building, and the team had the opportunities to learn one another on field — we were playing catch up.”

“The unique thing about this offseason is, yes, we have a roster of guys that have had a chance to play together. They know our system, they know the offensive and defensive schemes, they know the special teams, and they know the coaches. It just gives you an opportunity going into the offseason and into training camp with guys that are familiar with what we’re doing.”

“Those are the things that give teams the best chance of starting fast.”

A look at this year’s Grey Cup Champions shows just what continuity can do for a team. The Saskatchewan Roughriders were one of just two teams to bring back their leader in passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, tackles, sacks, and interceptions – with the East Division leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats being the other team.

Kaion Julien-Grant led the Elks in receiving yards in 2025 with 820

Edmonton’s early signings are already a step in the right direction towards closing the continuity gap between themselves and the East and West Division leaders. However, the recent extensions serve another purpose for the Elks. Despite a 7-11 record for a second consecutive season, the feeling within the Green and Gold’s locker room was entirely different when compared to 2024.

Players are once again seeing Commonwealth Stadium and the city of Edmonton as a place they can commit the precious years of their career to. As much as Chris Morris, Ed Hervey, and Mark Kilam wanted the Double E to be successful in year one of this overhaul, they knew there were parts of the process that were non-negotiable. Resetting the culture of an organization is a massive undertaking, but it is one that will benefit the Elks greatly in the long run.

“As a competitor, we all want to be a contender, we want to compete for the championship. But in the process of building, we had to set the culture first,” Hervey said. “I think that is something that is very important in this building process. Setting the culture for the players to really fully understand what direction we’re going as an organization. Getting the players to understand that for those who were here before, it’s nothing like what they’ve experienced in the past.”

“For the players who were coming here, and taking a chance on coming here, having a chance to see that our culture is going to be operating at a high level and there’s a level of respect that we have for the players. Doing things first class is more important than anything because we’re at the mercy of the players.”

Tyrell Ford was extended through the 2027 season to anchor the Elks improving young secondary

With the recent willingness of Edmonton’s top stars – from Nick Anderson to Justin Rankin to Tyrell Ford – all being willing to commit to multiple years in the Green and Gold, it’s safe to say that part of the rebuilding process is going exactly as planned.

“It was important to myself, to Mark, to Chris, to the entire organization as far as ensuring that we had a culture that players wanted to not only be a part of, but the true test would be whether they would want to remain a part of it by signing extensions and being part of it,” Hervey said.

“We’ve set the bar and now we have to raise the bar as far as what we’re doing internally but also recognizing that our players who are returning understand that they have to raise the bar as well. We’re all in this together. I just feel very good about the direction that we’re going as far as the process and the plan. I’m sticking with the plan.”

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