Bo Levi Mitchell (born March 3, 1990)[1] is an American professional footballquarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He originally signed with the Calgary Stampeders in 2012 and became the team's starting quarterback for the 2014 season, setting a number of club and league records including best record for a first time starting quarterback in league history (12 wins, 1 loss). He won the 102nd Grey Cup in 2014, the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in 2016 and 2018, and the 106th Grey Cup in 2018. With his second Grey Cup win as starter, he became the first quarterback to start and win multiple Grey Cup games with the Stampeders organization.
Mitchell graduated from Katy High School in Katy, Texas in 2008. As a senior in 2007, he passed for 2,451 yards and 37 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He led Katy to a 16–0 undefeated season and a state championship. He was named to the Houston Chronicle's Houston Top 110. Mitchell chose to attend SMU over an offer from Hawaii. Mitchell was also recruited by Eastern Washington.[1]
College career
SMU
Mitchell played two seasons at SMU, starting all 19 of the games he played. In his career, he completed 385-of-676 passes (57.0 percent) for 4,590 yards (241.6 per game) with 36 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. His efficiency rating was 121.8.
As a sophomore in 2009, he started SMU's first seven games before suffering an injury and being replaced by freshman Kyle Padron. Mitchell completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,725 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, for a passing efficiency rating of 117.9. However, SMU was 3–4 in those seven games before winning five of its last six to finish 8–5.[1]
Eastern Washington
As a junior in 2010, Mitchell transferred to Eastern Washington University, which had previously recruited Mitchell out of high school. He helped lead EWU to victory in the FCS Championship Game, a 20–19 come-from-behind victory over the University of Delaware, the school's first national championship in football. He was named the game's Most Outstanding Player after throwing three touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes of the game and had 302 total passing yards in the game as well.[2]
In the 2011 season, Mitchell led the FCS in four statistical categories, including passing yards (4,009) and touchdown passes (33) on his way to breaking four school records. He broke EWU's record for single season passing yards with 4,009, which ranks 17th in FCS history and fifth in Big Sky Conference history. Mitchell went on to win the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in the FCS and was also named the 2011 Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Mitchell was also named to seven All-America teams this season, earning first team honors on six of them. He was the top quarterback on teams selected by The Sports Network, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, Associated Press, Phil Steele Publications and Beyond Sports College Network.[2]
He ran quarterback sneaks in the short yardage offense, and scored his first CFL rushing touchdown in week 3 against the Montreal Alouettes. Mitchell was also the holder on field goal and convert attempts. It was in this role that he registered his first CFL touchdown pass. In Calgary's eleventh game of the season against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary was lining up for a field goal attempt, but faked it when Mitchell flipped the ball to Rob Cote. Cote was almost tackled behind the line of scrimmage, but was able to get away and score a 26 yard touchdown reception.
In the final game of the regular season against the Edmonton Eskimos, Mitchell drove the offense downfield and gave Rene Paredes the opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal. In the West Final vs BC, Mitchell faked a quarterback sneak on a third down gamble and threw a long pass to Maurice Price. In the Grey Cup, with the contest out of reach, Mitchell entered the game and engineered a touchdown drive and a 2-point convert, both caught by Price.
2013
He began the 2013 CFL season as the 3rd-string QB, and continued being the holder on field goal and convert attempts, and running quarterback sneaks in the short yardage offense. Mitchell came on in the third-quarter after Kevin Glenn left with an injury (Drew Tate was already injured) and helped the Stamps to overcome a 24-point deficit to defeat the Alouettes on July 20, 2013.[5]
In his first CFL start, on July 26, 2013, Mitchell completed 29 of 33 attempts while passing for 376 yards, in a big win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Mitchell won the Gibson's Finest Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. The 2013 season proved to be a breakout season for Mitchell. He played significant time at quarterback in 5 of the games, and appeared in another 7 games. His completion percentage was an impressive 69.6%, throwing for 1,156 yards with 10 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions: a quarterback rating of 111.2.
2014
Mitchell with the Calgary Stampeders in 2014
On January 14, 2014, Mitchell signed a contract extension with the Stampeders, which was set to keep him in Calgary through 2016.[6] On June 14, 2014, Mitchell began the 2014 pre season with the Calgary Stampeders. The first week/game he played one quarter and ended the night with 76 passing yards in a 23–20 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On June 20, 2014, in the second week of pre season against the BC Lions Mitchell threw for 100 yards, 0 TD'S and 2 INT. On June 23, he was named the starting QB for their week 1 game against the Montreal Alouettes. On opening day, Bo Levi Mitchell gave the Calgary Stampeders their first win of the season 29–8 against the Montreal Alouettes. Mitchell had 313 passing yards and 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. On Thursday, July 24, 2014, Bo Levi Mitchell tied Jeff Garcia's CFL record for consecutive career winning starts, going 7–0, with a 26–22 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos.[7] Mitchell went 12-2 as Calgary's starting quarterback, which helped the team finish first place in the CFL West Division and earn a first round playoff bye. On November 23, 2014, in his first playoff start, Mitchell led the Stampeders to a victory in the Western Final over division rival Edmonton Eskimos, earning them a berth in the 2014 Grey Cup.[8] He and the Calgary Stampeders would go on to defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20–16 in the 102nd Grey Cup. Mitchell was named Grey Cup MVP.
2015
On March 3, 2015, his 25th birthday, Mitchell signed an extension with the Stampeders to keep him in Calgary through the 2018 season.[9]
In 2015, Mitchell's second full season as the Stampeders starting quarterback, he posted career highs in many passing categories, including completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns. He went 13-4 as the team's starting quarterback, resting for the final regular season game because Calgary's position in the standings would remain unchanged; Calgary ultimately finished second place in the West Division behind the Edmonton Eskimos, who beat them via a tiebreaker. For his efforts, he was named a CFL West All-Star and the winner of the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy, awarded to the CFL West Division's most outstanding player. After knocking off the BC Lions in the West Semi-Final, the Stamps were eliminated by the Eskimos who would go on to win the 103rd Grey Cup.
2016
Mitchell continued to improve in the 2016 season, setting career highs in passing attempts (606), completions (412), yards (5,385) touchdowns (32), and 300 yard games (11). He started the first 17 games in the regular season before being rested for the final game of the season because Calgary had already clinched first place in the West. Mitchell led the Stamps to first place in the West Division with a 15–1–1 record, including a 16-game unbeaten streak and 14-game winning streak, which set a CFL record for most consecutive wins by a starting quarterback.[10] Mitchell and the Stampeders dismantled the BC Lions in the West Division Final, winning 42–15 and advancing to the Grey Cup in the process.[11] He was once again the winner of the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy, and prior to the Grey Cup game, was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player for the first time.[12] Calgary ultimately lost the 104th Grey Cup to the Ottawa Redblacks. Ottawa clinched the game in overtime when Mitchell threw an incompletion on a third down gamble.
2017
In 2017, Mitchell once again started the first 17 regular season games at quarterback for Calgary, and rested in the final regular season game because Calgary had already clinched first place in the West. Mitchell's record as the starting quarterback was 13-3-1. In the West Division Final, Calgary defeated Edmonton, but lost to the Toronto Argonauts in the 105th Grey Cup. Toronto clinched the game when Mitchell threw a late fourth quarter interception.
2018
In 2018, Mitchell led the Stampeders to first place in the West Division for the third consecutive year. He started all 18 regular season games, including the final game in BC because Calgary needed to win the game to clinch first place. Calgary posted a 13-5 record. That year, Mitchell became the fastest quarterback to 60 wins in CFL history, only taking 72 starts to do so, surpassing Ken Ploen who had previously held the record with 60 wins, with 78 starts.[13] Mitchell won the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy for the third time in his career, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player for the second time.[14] Calgary defeated Winnipeg in the West Division Final, which allowed Calgary to play in their third consecutive Grey Cup. They went on to win the 106th Grey Cup 27–16 over the Ottawa Redblacks, and Mitchell was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career.[15]
After the 2018 Grey Cup, Mitchell had risen to the top 4 in several all-time Grey Cup career passing categories: 4th in attempts (165), 3rd in completions (116), and 3rd in yards (1431). Shortly after winning the Grey Cup Mitchell announced that he would be pursuing NFL opportunities before signing another CFL contract.[16]
Mitchell in 2019
Mitchell was set to become a free agent in February 2019, having decided to explore NFL opportunities before re-signing with the Calgary Stampeders organization. He attended his first NFL workout on December 5, 2018, with the Minnesota Vikings,[17] with more than five teams inviting him to a workout and ten inquiring about him in the days and weeks subsequent to his first NFL workout.[18] Mitchell later said he decided he would reject an offer from the Vikings because a team official told him they did not want a quarterback controversy.[19] Mitchell also worked out for the Denver Broncos,[20]Jacksonville Jaguars,[21]Buffalo Bills,[22]New York Giants and Chicago Bears.[23] During the 2019 CFL free agency, Mitchell officially became a free agent and had not yet been signed by an NFL team with CFL teams beginning to offer contracts such as the Toronto Argonauts, the Edmonton Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders with the minimum contract being offered to Mitchell being rumored around $750,000 per season.[24]
2019
On February 12, 2019, Mitchell re-signed with the Stampeders, in a four-year deal worth $2.8 million.[25] Mitchell suffered a pectoral injury in Week 3 and was subsequently placed on the six-game injured reserve list.[26] By mid-August Mitchell was appearing to be close to a return, however, he was placed back on the 6-game injured reserve list on August 16, 2019, after suffering a minor setback.[27] He was taken off the 6-game injured reserve list 13 days later, on August 29, 2019, and made his return to the starting lineup that weekend.[28][29] In total he missed seven games during the 2019 season.
2020
Mitchell did not play in 2020 because the CFL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
Following Calgary's second game of the 2021 season the Stamps placed Mitchell on the six-game injured reserve with a broken fibula.[30] Mitchell returned in Week 6 having missed only three games. Mitchell would play the rest of the season despite injuring his shoulder in Week 9 against the Roughriders.[31] The Stamps finished 8–6 on the season but were eliminated by the Riders in overtime in the first round of the playoffs.[32] This was the first season in which Mitchell threw more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (10).
2022
Mitchell in 2022
After having missed time with injuries during the 2019 and 2021 seasons in April 2022 Mitchell stated that "retirement might be the next step" if he is unable to maintain his health.[33] After starting the first half of the season Mitchell was benched in Week 11 after throwing two interceptions and completing only nine passes on 16 attempts against the Toronto Argonauts.[34] He was replaced by backup second-year quarterback Jake Maier.[35] Maier continued to be the team's starting quarterback late into the season, and agreed to a contract extension, leaving Mitchell's future in Calgary in doubt.[36] Mitchell came off the bench in the playoffs in relief of Maier, however, in the 9 minutes that he played he was unable to lead the team to victory (although surpassing Meier's passing yardage in the game) ending the Stampeders season.[37] Following the defeat Mitchell conceded that "the writing is on the wall" and he was looking forward to a new opportunity elsewhere when his contract expired in February 2023.[38]
Upon completion of his career in Calgary, Mitchell ranked number 1 in Stampeder history in the following regular season career categories:
pass yards (32,541)
pass attempts (3,866)
pass completions (2,496)
victories as a starting quarterback (90)
He finished number 2 in career pass touchdowns (188).
His 16 career playoff touchdown passes are a Stampeder record.
He ranked number 1 in Stampeder history in the following Grey Cup career categories:
pass yards (1,431)
pass attempts (165)
pass completions (116)
pass touchdowns (7)
victories as a starting quarterback (2)
His Grey Cup pass yards in 2014 (334), 2016 (391), and 2017 (373) are 3 of the top 5 single game pass yards totals in Stampeder history.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Mitchell with the Tiger-Cats in 2023
2023
On November 14, 2022, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats acquired the rights to Mitchell in exchange for two drafts picks and future considerations, with his contract set to expire in February 2023.[39] A couple days later Mitchell went on record stating that he still intended to enter free agency.[40] Nonetheless, on January 24, 2023, Mitchell signed a three-year contract worth over $500,000 CAD annually with the Tiger-Cats.[41] He suffered a lower-body injury in the second half of the team's Week 2 loss to rival Toronto Argonauts.[42] A few days later it was announced that Mitchell would miss the team's home-opener against the Montreal Alouettes in Week 3.[43] On June 23, 2023, Hamilton placed Mitchell on the six-game injured reserve list with an adductor injury.[44] He returned in week 8 in the win against the Ottawa Redblacks, but suffered a fracture in his lower right leg on the last play of the game and returned to the six-game injured list.[45] He returned to play and start the last three games of the regular season, but split playing time with Matthew Shiltz or Taylor Powell in each game. In total, he played and started in six regular season games where he completed 78 out of 132 pass attempts for 1,031 yards with six touchdowns and ten interceptions.[46] The 8-10 Hamilton Tiger-Cats went on the road into Molson Stadium for the East Semi-final against the Montreal Alouettes. Hamilton head coach Orlando Steinauer went with Matthew Shiltz as the starting quarterback for the playoff game, Mitchell only being put into the game late in the fourth quarter (Mitchell completing one pass in four attempts along with one interception in relief of Matthew Shiltz). The Alouettes would win 27-12, and Montreal would go on to win the East Final in Toronto 38-17, as well as the Grey Cup final 28-24 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Tim Hortons Field.
2024
In December 2023, Scott Milanovich, who had been an offensive coach on Hamilton's staff in 2023, became the team's head coach, replacing Steinauer.[47] The Ticats announced in early January 2024 that Mitchell had reworked his contract; he would remain under contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.[48] On the first day of rookie camp, Mitchell was spotted with a walking boot on his right leg, and was dealing with “swelling”.[49] By May 13, he was participating at training camp without a walking boot on his leg.[50]
In the team's ninth game, against Montreal, Mitchell threw a first quarter interception and was benched by Milanovich.[51] Taylor Powell replaced Mitchell and threw for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns in relief, which earned him the start the following week against Edmonton.[51] In the first quarter of the Edmonton game, Powell suffered a head injury, and was ultimately taken to hospital.[52] Mitchell came on in relief,[52] and started all of Hamilton's remaining games.
Hamilton finished 7-11 and missed the playoffs. Despite this and Mitchell's early-season struggles, he had one of the best statistical seasons in his career. He set single season career highs in pass completions (420), attempts (614), and yards (5,451). He led the CFL in these categories, as well as touchdown passes (32). His passing yards placed him 1,115 yards ahead of the second place quarterback in the CFL, Zach Collaros, and set a new single season Tiger-Cat record. Mitchell threw five touchdowns in a single game twice, and had 10 300-yard passing games, 2 of which surpassed 400 yards. Mitchell was Hamilton's unanimous selection for Most Outstanding Player.[53]
Mitchell received the following accolades for his season accomplishments: Terry Evanshen Trophy winner as Most Outstanding Player in the East Division,[54] and Divisional All-CFL quarterback for the East Division.[55]
Upon completion of the season, Mitchell ranked 12th all-time in CFL regular season history in the following passing categories: yards (39,023), touchdowns (226); 9th in completions (2,994); 13th in attempts (4,612); tied for 10th in regular season victories for a starting quarterback (99).
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