{"id":346949,"date":"2025-12-15T15:23:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T15:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/346949\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T15:23:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T15:23:07","slug":"mmqb-4-players-who-keep-finding-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/346949\/","title":{"rendered":"MMQB: 4 players who keep finding new heights"},"content":{"rendered":"

While I don\u2019t think many were surprised, it was awesome to see Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a> opt not to call it a career and instead sign back for another two years<\/a> with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think mentally at the end of the year, you kind of have a feeling of, \u2018Do I want to get hit anymore?\u2019\u201d Mitchell reflected last week when talking about his decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow you end your year has a lot to do with how you want to play the next year. I ended the year very healthy (and) mentally very strong. It just felt like I could have went out and played the next week. A lot of times you\u2019re kind of dragging at the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 35, the two-time Most Outstanding Player is playing some of the best football of his career. Mitchell has led the league in passing the last two seasons, averaging 5,373 yards and 34 touchdowns along the way. And, with how Hamilton\u2019s season ended in the Eastern Final, it feels like \u201cunfinished business\u201d will be one of the themes of 2026 for Mitchell and the team.<\/p>\n

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But more than anything, Mitchell\u2019s two-year extension underlines how stunning his comeback story really is.<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s final two seasons in Calgary were marred by shoulder issues and a resulting performance drop. In fact, Mitchell lost his starting job to Jake Maier<\/a> in the back half of the 2022 campaign before being traded to the Tiger-Cats the following January.<\/p>\n

And as we know, that first year in Hamilton didn\u2019t go well, either. Clouded by injury once again, 2023 saw Mitchell appear in just six games while completing less than 60 per cent of his passes and throwing 10 interceptions against just six touchdowns.<\/p>\n

After three consecutive frustrating seasons, I was one of many concerned Mitchell\u2019s time as a high-end starter had come to an end. Fortunately for the Ticats, Mitchell wasn\u2019t of that same mindset and now the rest is history.<\/p>\n

In that vein, this week\u2019s MMQB is looking at a few other fun comeback stories over the last few years.<\/p>\n

KEON HATCHER SR. | RECEIVER | BC LIONS<\/p>\n

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This one unfolded in front of us during the 2025 season as Keon Hatcher Sr. reclaimed his spot as one of the league\u2019s most explosive receivers. In the process, Hatcher led the CFL with 1,688 yards while finishing second with nine touchdown catches. But a season like this felt far from a certainty just over a year ago.<\/p>\n

Hatcher sustained a ruptured Achilles during the 2023 Western Final, ending a breakout season (1,226 yards, six touchdowns) in devastating fashion. And after a long road back, Hatcher dealt with a slow and rocky return midway through the following year. But his 150-yard outing in Week 2 this season signalled Hatcher\u2019s emphatic return. He\u2019d go on to post seven triple-digit games over the course of the campaign.<\/p>\n

VERNON ADAMS JR. | QUARTERBACK | CALGARY STAMPEDERS<\/p>\n

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Vernon Adams Jr. has seemingly always had to battle for his place in this league.<\/p>\n

Remember when it felt like he had finally cemented a starting role in Montreal before being quickly shuffled aside in 2022? And after getting back to the spot a couple years later with the Lions, the same thing happened when Nathan Rourke<\/a> returned to the league in August 2024? This has not always been an easy road to travel.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I was so happy when the Stamps stepped up to acquire Adams Jr. just over a year ago, as it was his clear his time in BC was up. Adams Jr. was brought in to be Calgary\u2019s answer to their starting woes and was largely successful. In his first year in Red and White, Adams Jr. threw for 4,247 yards and 21 touchdowns and was a driving force in the Stampeders returning to contention.<\/p>\n

MICAH JOHNSON | DEFENSIVE TACKLE | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n

SACKED!<\/p>\n

Big stop on second down for Malik Carney<\/a> and Micah Johnson<\/a>! #CFLGameDay<\/a>
\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f: Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. @sskroughriders<\/a> LIVE NOW
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6: TSN, CTV
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\ud83c\udf0e: CFL+ pic.twitter.com\/WjFWpmTOkP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CFL (@CFL) August 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that long ago I thought Micah Johnson<\/a>\u2019s days as a dominant interior force were surprisingly behind him. Johnson finished his time in Calgary in 2018 after a season that saw him record 14 sacks, an absurd total for his position. But for various reasons, including injury, Johnson\u2019s next couple years with Saskatchewan never came close to the same type of effectiveness.<\/p>\n

In fact, when Johnson signed with Hamilton for 2022, I didn\u2019t think much of it. But that one year out east seemed to get everything back on track. In one season with the Ticats and three more that have followed with the Riders, Johnson has recorded 24 total sacks while returning to being one of the league\u2019s most disruptive inside linemen.<\/p>\n

This past season, paired with Mike Rose<\/a> in the middle, Johnson was a driving force of Saskatchewan\u2019s dominant defensive line. At the age of 37, Johnson finished as one of Pro Football Focus\u2019s top 10 defensive tackles while winning his third Grey Cup.<\/p>\n