2021 CFL season

Last updated

2021 CFL season
DurationAugust 5 – November 20, 2021
East champions Hamilton Tiger-Cats
West champions Winnipeg Blue Bombers
108th Grey Cup
DateDecember 12, 2021
Venue Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton
ChampionsWinnipeg Blue Bombers
CFL seasons
←  2020 (cancelled)
2022  →
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Locations of the active CFL teams Red pog.svg West Blue 000080 pog.svg East

The 2021 CFL season was the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. The regular season began on August 5 and ended November 20. [1] [2] Each team played 14 regular season games over 16 weeks. [2] Previously, the season was scheduled to begin on June 10 and end on October 30, with 18 games being played per team over 21 weeks, but this was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. [3] Hamilton hosted the 108th Grey Cup on December 12, 2021. [4]

Contents

League business

Resumption of play

The 2020 season was postponed on numerous occasions because federal and provincial governments forbade attendance at sporting events in an effort to stop the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The league ultimately decided to hold a shortened season in a "bubble" without fans in attendance. However, on August 17, the league called off the season. The federal and provincial governments refused to provide the subsidies needed to cover the expenses necessary for the season to be held. Additionally, public health officials could not guarantee they could approve the league's "bubble" proposal in time to complete the season before Canada's harsh winters set in. At the same time, commissioner Randy Ambrosie guaranteed a return to play in 2021, with fans in attendance at full capacity, without regard to the status of the pandemic by that time. [5]

Renaming of the Edmonton team

On June 1, 2021, Edmonton's CFL team announced that it adopted a new name, the Edmonton Elks. [6] The team had previously retired its "Edmonton Eskimos" branding on July 21, 2020, and started to temporarily use "Edmonton Football Team" and "EE Football Team", on grounds that the term Eskimo had been considered an offensive term to refer to Inuit. [7]

Salary cap

According to the new collective bargaining agreement, the 2021 salary cap was scheduled to be $5,350,000 (or an average of $118,888 per active roster spot). [8] [9] That number was subject to change as players would have revenue sharing of 20% from broadcast deals, but could also change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9] Individual minimum salaries were set at $65,000 in 2021 for National and American players. [8] Since no 2020 CFL Draft pick signed a contract in the cancelled 2020 season, this was the first season with all CFL Draft picks subject to a pay scale, with the first overall pick earning approximately $85,000. [8]

Schedule

The league originally released the season's full schedule on November 20, 2020, which featured a 21-week regular season schedule. [3] The regular season was scheduled to begin on June 10 with a rematch of the 107th Grey Cup with the defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. [3] Notably, the schedule featured more intra-divisional games, with BC, Calgary, and Edmonton playing 12 such games, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg playing 11 divisional games, and the East Division teams playing 10 divisional games (an increase of one to two divisional games per team). [10] This was done to reduce cross-country travel. The Toronto Argonauts were scheduled to play a neutral site game on July 19 against the Calgary Stampeders at a location that was supposed to be announced at a later date. [11]

However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the league confirmed on April 21 that the season would be delayed until at least August 5, with a revised schedule released on June 15. [1] [2] This version featured 14 regular season games with even more of a focus on intra-divisional games as the Blue Bombers and Redblacks did not play against each other in the regular season and each team played approximately eight divisional games. [2] As the league anticipated capacity limits to be more lenient in Western Canada, the CFL aligned its schedule to have all East division teams begin their seasons at West division opponents for at least the first two weeks of the season. [2]

If a game postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak could not have been made up within the regular season schedule, the team(s) affected by the outbreak would be charged with losses by forfeit. If at least 85% of a team's players had received at least one vaccine dose, players received their salary for the unplayed game and the team was credited with a 1–0 win. [12]

Potential partnership with the XFL

On March 10, the CFL confirmed it was pursuing discussions with the consortium that owns the XFL about some form of partnership, the details of which were not made public. The XFL, which was slated to return in 2022 following its abrupt shutdown and sale in March 2020, paused plans to return pending the results of those discussions. [13] The discussions ended on July 7, with no action taken. [14] The XFL subsequently confirmed it would not resume play until 2023 at the earliest.

Global players

After first being introduced for the 2019 CFL season, the league featured two active roster spots for players designated as "global" players for each team. [15] Each team also had up to three spots on their practice rosters for global players. [15] Global players were defined as those who did not hold Canadian or American citizenship nor did they qualify as a National player in any other way. [16] This was subject to change after the cancellation of Global Combines in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [17]

COVID-19 restrictions

Some CFL teams enforced limitations on spectator capacity for their games. Even without capacity restrictions, teams still employed enhanced health and safety protocols, such as increased access to sanitization, paperless transactions and digital tickets. [18] [19] With announcements by the Edmonton Elks and Saskatchewan Roughriders on August 30, all CFL teams announced plans to require that spectators present proof that they are vaccinated for COVID-19, either as the result of a voluntary decision, or as the result of provincial public health orders requiring proof of vaccine (British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec). [20] [21] [22]

TeamCapacityVaccine requirementSource
BCCapped at 12,500Proof of vaccination required beginning September 13 per provincial public health orders. [23] [20]
CalgaryFull capacityProof of full vaccination required beginning September 15 per CSEC policy. [24] [25]
EdmontonFull capacityProof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required beginning October 15 per team policy. [18] [26]
HamiltonCapped at 75% capacityProof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required beginning September 6 per team policy. [27] [28]
MontrealCapped at 15,000Proof of vaccination required beginning September 18 per provincial public health orders. [29] [22]
OttawaCapped at 75% capacityProof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required beginning September 12 per OSEG policy. [27] [28]
SaskatchewanFull capacityProof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required beginning September 17 per team policy. [19] [30]
TorontoCapped at 75% capacityProof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required beginning in September per MLSE policy. [31] [27]
WinnipegFull capacityProof of full vaccination required per provincial public health orders. [21]

Player movement

Signing moratorium

With the 2020 CFL season initially postponed and then ultimately cancelled, the league had placed a moratorium on re-signing players. Teams were able to re-sign players after December 7, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. ET. [32]

Free agency

The 2021 free agency period began on February 9 at 12:00 p.m. ET. [33] [32] Similar to the previous off-season, pending free agents and teams were able to negotiate offers for one week starting January 31, ending February 7. [34] All formal offers to a player during this time would be sent to both the league and the players union and could not be rescinded. [34] [35]

Trade deadline

The in-season trade deadline was on October 27 at 5:00 pm ET. [36]

Regular season

Standings

West Division
TeamGPWLTPtsPFPADivStk
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 141130223511878–1L2 Details
Saskatchewan Roughriders 14950182902855–4L1 Details
Calgary Stampeders 14860163152636–4W3 Details
BC Lions 14590103133512–7W1 Details
Edmonton Elks 14311062463772–7L1 Details
East Division
TeamGPWLTPtsPFPADivStk
Toronto Argonauts 14950183093186–2L1 Details
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 14860163122444–4W1 Details
Montreal Alouettes 14770143562955–3L1 Details
Ottawa Redblacks 14311062243841–7W1 Details

Postseason

The Grey Cup was played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, on December 12. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won their second consecutive championship, defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a re-match 33–25, in overtime.

Playoff bracket

November 28:
Division Semi-Finals 		December 5:
Division Finals 		December 12:
108th Grey Cup
Tim Hortons Field – Hamilton
         
E1 Toronto Argonauts 19
East
E2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 27
E2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 23
E3 Montreal Alouettes 12
E2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25
W1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33*
W1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21
West
W2 Saskatchewan Roughriders 17
W2 Saskatchewan Roughriders 33*
W3 Calgary Stampeders 30

*-Team won in Overtime.

Broadcasting

The CFL was broadcast on TSN and RDS across all platforms in Canada as part of their contract. [37] The broadcast rights were reported to have been extended through 2025. [38]

Award winners

CFL Top Performers of the Week

WeekFirstSecondThirdFans' Choice
One Abdul Kanneh Avery Williams Brady Oliveira Brady Oliveira
Two Michael Reilly Jonathan Woodard Cody Fajardo Cody Fajardo
Three Nick Arbuckle Cody Fajardo Greg Ellingson Nick Arbuckle
Four Frankie Williams Jordan Williams Marc Liegghio Marc Liegghio
Five Trevor Harris Vernon Adams Brandon Alexander Brandon Alexander
Six Stefen Banks Kamar Jorden Michael ReillyStefen Banks
Seven DeAundre Alford Simoni Lawrence Michael ReillyDeAundre Alford
EightCody Fajardo Shaquille Richardson William Stanback Cody Fajardo
Nine Zach Collaros Caleb Evans DeVonte Dedmon Zach Collaros
Ten Andrew Harris Dexter McCoil Ka'Deem Carey Andrew Harris
Eleven Rene Paredes Jake Wieneke David Ménard Rene Paredes
TwelveWilliam Stanback Eugene Lewis Monshadrik Hunter Eugene Lewis
Thirteen Jeremiah Masoli A. C. Leonard Boris Bede Boris Bede
Fourteen Cordarro Law Adam Bighill A. C. LeonardAdam Bighill
Fifteen Duke Williams Darnell Sankey Hénoc Muamba Duke Williams
Sixteen Nathan Rourke Johnny Augustine Davon Coleman Johnny Augustine

Source [39]

CFL Top Performers of the Month

MonthFirstSecondThird
August Cody Fajardo Jonathan Woodard Michael Reilly
September Lucky Whitehead Simoni Lawrence Michael Reilly
October David Ménard Zach Collaros Jeremiah Masoli
November A. C. Leonard Lucky Whitehead Boris Bede

Source [39]

2021 CFL All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

Source [40]

2021 CFL Western All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

Source [41]

2021 CFL Eastern All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

Source [41]

2021 CFL Awards

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Circle your calendars: CFL releases 2021 schedule". Canadian Football League. June 15, 2021.
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  5. ↑ "CFL cancels 2020 season, 'committed' to 2021". TSN. August 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Edmonton Officially Announces Team Name As Elks". CFL.ca (Press release). CFL Enterprises, LP. June 1, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  7. ↑ "CFL's Edmonton Eskimos dropping 'Eskimo' from team name". Global News. July 21, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
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  12. ↑ "CFLPA disapproves of league's COVID-19 cancellation plan". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ Middleton, Marc (March 10, 2021). "XFL and CFL Enter Into Talks, 2022 Relaunch Season Likely To Be Delayed". WrestlingHeadlines.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ "XFL planning 2023 return after talks on partnership with CFL tabled". ESPN.com. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  15. 1 2 "CFL Combine planned for Paris, France in 2020". press.cfl.ca. October 4, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
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  22. 1 2 "At The Stadium Safely". Montreal Alouettes. August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
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  33. ↑ "Official 2021 free agent tracker". cfl.ca. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
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  39. 1 2 "CFL Top Performers". Canadian Football League . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Stars aligned: 2021 CFL All-Stars announced". Canadian Football League. December 15, 2021.
  41. 1 2 "2021 CFL Division All-Stars Unveiled". Canadian Football League. November 24, 2021.
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