{"id":538153,"date":"2026-03-15T14:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538153\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T14:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:34:09","slug":"taylor-powell-left-tiger-cats-for-elks-after-late-hamilton-contract-offer-fell-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538153\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Powell left Tiger-Cats for Elks after late Hamilton contract offer fell short"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks.<\/p>\n

Taylor Powell decided to move from Hamilton to Edmonton after a late contract extension offer from the Tiger-Cats did not lineup with the numbers he sought.<\/p>\n

\u201cBo [Levi Mitchell] signing a two-year [contract extension through 2027<\/a>] is tough. There were conversations that needed to be had. It seemed the writing was on the wall\u00a0and I was looking for a fresh start,\u201d Powell told 3DownNation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a whirlwind of three years, I\u2019ll say.\u00a0I learned a lot, I was super, super thankful\u00a0to learn and start my career with Scott [Milanovich], learn from Bo, be able to be coached by [Orlondo Steinauer], Tommy Condell, and Jarryd Baines. I had great relationships, a great, great experience there, but I\u2019m ready to start the next chapter in Edmonton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Powell signed with the Ticats after training camp opened in May 2023<\/a> but still managed to earn an active roster spot as Hamilton\u2019s third-string pivot entering the regular season. The six-foot-one, 208-pound QB started nine games in his rookie CFL season and dressed in seven others, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 2,283 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing 28 times for 196 yards plus one major.<\/p>\n

In 2024, after Mitchell was pulled early against Montreal in Week 10, Powell completed 30-of-38 passes for 319 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions plus five carries for 52 yards in a 33-23 loss. He was named the starter for Week 11 but suffered a blow to the head midway through the first quarter<\/a>, which forced him from the game. That turned out to be the last meaningful snap the Fayetteville, Ark. native played for the Tabbies.<\/p>\n

Mitchell found his form and led the league in passing yards with over 5,200 in two straight seasons. Hamilton produced an 11-7 record to claim first place in the East Division last year and the Black and Gold\u2019s renewed commitment to No. 19 as the franchise man caused Powell to experience CFL free agency for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew the ballpark and the value of\u00a0I feel like what I\u2019ve created for myself. I wanted fit. If it was 25K or 30K less\u00a0than whatever the market deemed,\u00a0I\u2019d rather be in a great situation \u2014 I learned that from Trevor [Harris] \u2014 than chasing dollar amounts,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I\u2019m a starter in the league. I\u2019ve heard from exit meetings\u00a0and fellow GMs and fellow head coaches\u00a0in the league, \u2018If there\u2019s 10 teams, you\u2019d be the starter.\u2019 I\u2019m trying to be patient and wanna be in the right situation. Ready to learn from Cody [Fajardo], support him\u00a0and help Edmonton as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Elks.<\/p>\n

For the 2026 CFL season, Powell will make $145,000 in hard money, including a $25,000 signing bonus. He will earn an additional $277.78 each time he\u2019s on the active roster for a regular-season game, which could total $5,000 over a full season. There\u2019s another $70,500 available in playtime incentives, statistical bonuses, all-star and awards cash to bring his maximum possible value to $220,500.<\/p>\n

If Powell collects his February 1, 2027 active roster bonus, worth $20,000, he\u2019ll be on the books for $190,000 in hard money next year. He has the same possible incentives in his deal as year one, giving his him $265,500 in maximum value.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a trend in this league, you see Zach [Collaros] and Trevor [not immediately becoming franchise quarterbacks]. Vernon [Adams Jr.] always told me, \u2018Earn, learn, and wait your turn.\u2019 Whenever you do get the keys\u00a0to the organization, it\u2019s time to make that thing go,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what all this waiting\u2019s about,\u00a0all the studying and all this work in the dark. Quite frankly, I don\u2019t really care if anybody sees it\u00a0or if I play great,\u00a0if I don\u2019t, that\u2019s fine, I\u2019ll be a great teammate. If I do get ahold of the reins, I\u2019m going to give that organization everything\u00a0I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmonton believes Powell has franchise QB potential, but just because he\u2019s not the anointed starter doesn\u2019t mean his preparation changes. For example, Milanovich regularly arrived at Hamilton\u2019s facility around 3 a.m. during the season with coffee and Diet Cokes to keep him going. Meanwhile, Powell would be there at 5 a.m. when the building officially opened to begin his preparations as he wasn\u2019t allowed in any earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s who I\u2019ve always been.\u00a0It\u2019s been in the fabric of my nature ever since I was,\u00a0to be honest, in the eighth grade,\u00a0kind of had the same routine. Whether I\u2019m starting\u00a0or I\u2019m gonna hold a clipboard all game,\u00a0there\u2019s no excuse.\u00a0This is the life you signed up for,\u00a0whether you\u2019re a starter or a backup \u2014\u00a0this is quarterback. If you base your preparation on your feelings,\u00a0then you\u2019re not gonna be around very long,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not very respectful to your teammates\u00a0or the organization if you\u2019re not ready.\u00a0I want everybody in that building to know they can trust me when I\u2019m on the field\u00a0because I\u2019ve worked harder than anybody, I know the playbook,\u00a0I know the plan better than anybody,\u00a0I know what the defence is doing. I\u2019m gonna be ready to go for the guys, the organization and the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Powell chose the Elks because he felt like it was the best situation for him. He wants to be starting and playing, but did not base his decision on who might retire first between Mitchell and Fajardo<\/a>. Both veteran quarterbacks \u2014 the former is 36, while the latter turns 34 on March 29 \u2014 have essentially said they\u2019re year-to-year at this point in their respective CFL careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t ever like look at, \u2018What is Bo doing? What is Cody doing?\u2019\u00a0What did they sign?\u2019\u00a0All that sort of stuff. If it happens this year, great.\u00a0If it doesn\u2019t, great. I truly believe in God\u2019s timing,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that\u00a0good things happen to good people. I know if I keep putting one foot\u00a0in front of the other, maybe that\u2019ll be me one day\u00a0saying I\u2019m year to year,\u00a0trying to play till I\u2019m 40. That\u2019s exactly what I want to be doing too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canadian offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic was one element drawing Powell to sign in Edmonton. He\u2019s worked with Jason Maas, who learned under Milanovich, meaning the offensive system is basically the same, according to the Elks backup QB.<\/p>\n

Maksymic helped Michael Reilly pass for 5,000 yards in three straight seasons (2016-2018) as his position coach with the Green and Gold. He was also key in Nathan Rourke\u2019s development and his breakout 2022 campaign with the B.C. Lions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing around bright football minds\u00a0is always a good thing for you. If you look at what he\u2019s done with quarterbacks, it\u2019s amazing. It\u2019s a lot on your plate, which I love,\u201d Powell said about the offensive playbook. \u201cI want as much on my plate as possible\u00a0because that\u2019s why you study\u00a0and that\u2019s why you work your a\u2013 off.\u201d<\/p>\n

That says it all about Powell\u2019s approach to being a quarterback in the CFL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks. Taylor Powell decided to move from Hamilton to Edmonton after a late contract extension…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[166835,166836,901,210381,2602,42019,49,48,7028,521,522,520,182038,14973,13417,23752,13264,77213,3801,15655,172264,50472,210382,202213,11139,186503,82,171513,43334,167300,210383],"class_list":["post-538153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-3down","tag-3downnation","tag-alberta","tag-alberta-capital","tag-bc-lions","tag-bo-levi-mitchell","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-cfl-free-agency","tag-cody-fajardo","tag-ed-hervey","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-elks","tag-elks","tag-hamilton","tag-hamilton-tiger-cats","tag-jarryd-baines","tag-jason-maas","tag-jordan-maksymic","tag-michael-reilly","tag-nathan-rourke","tag-scott-milanovich","tag-sports","tag-taylor-powell","tag-ticats","tag-tiger-cats","tag-tommy-condell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}