10 Highest Paid Canadian Football Player

Ja'Gared Davis had a salary of $230,000 for the 2022 season. The Toronto Argosnauts paid him such an impressive figure only for one season.

Davis has signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the upcoming CFL 2023 season. He previously played for the Tiger-Cats from 2019 to 2021.

The American defensive end had first received a signing bonus of $70,000 from the Argos. His payment was followed by another $20,000 after playing his first game with them.

His other paying conditions included getting a $1,500 bonus for being an East all-star, $2,500 if named a CFL all-star, and $3,500 each for winning up to three league awards.

Davis and the Argos later bagged the 109th Grey Cup on November 20, 2022. It was the team's 18th championship while second for Davis.

He previously won the 2018 Grey Cup with Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders are his first-ever CFL team after his tenure in NFL from 2013 to 2015.

Duke Williams received a $260,000 salary from the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the 2022 season. TSN insider Dave Taylor confirmed the news.

The 2022 deal was an extension, as he had initially signed with the Riders in August 2021. The huge payment figure had made him the highest-paid receiver in the Canadian Football League during the time.

After a suspension of one game, Duke survived the season and became a free agent on February 14, 2023, as his contract expired.

Wiliams has signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as of February 14, 2023. The Tiger-Cats have bagged top-notch players in its roster for the upcoming playing days, with Duke and Davis on the team.

Williams was on the practice squad of the NFL Los Angeles Rams in 2016 but got waived by them the same year. He played with the CFL Edmonton Eskimos from 2017 to 2018.

However, he returned to NFL with the Buffalo Bills, where he played the 2019-2020 season and has been a part of the CFL since then.

Nick Arbuckle took away a $328,000 salary from the Edmonton Elks in 2022. Arbuckle has signed for the Redblacks for the 2023 season.

He also bagged other incentives from the team, including a $12, 000 pay for his housing and a $100, 000 as a signing bonus, per a tweet confirmation by Dave Taylor.

Nick has been playing with the Ottawa Redblacks since July 11, 2022, as a part of a trade. However, he has signed full-time with them as of February 5, 2023, for one year. He will be seen as a backup quarterback for Jeremiah Masoli in the 2023 season.

In 2021, he signed a one-year contract with the Argos, who paid him a base salary of $109,000. The deal also included weekly housing payments of $666.67 and a $300 bonus every time he played 51 percent of the offensive plays in a game. 

Nick was soon transferred to the Elks, where he modified the terms of his contract, which made him one of the most paid players in the league.

Vernon Adams Jr. made $399,000 in salary in the 2022 season with the BC Lions. He was playing on the team as a part of the trade but has signed with them on a two-year extension deal as of February 8, 2023.

According to his initial deal with the Montreal Alouettes, the veteran quarterback received an allocated base salary of $95,000 and $666.66 in housing facilities.

For the 2023 season, Adams Jr. will collect a $25,000 active roster bonus while his base salary is set at $113,000. Meanwhile, his housing payments are set at $13,500.

With the Lions' starting QB Nathan Rourke departed to play alongside Zay Jones for Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL, Vernon is the new starting quarterback for the team.

He has a chance to pocket $11,111.11 per game as the starting QB and $1,388.88 per game for playing 51 percent or more of the offensive plays.

Likewise, his display of 20 or more touchdown passes will call in for an extra $25,000 bonus for this season. Vernon started his CFL career in 2016 with the Alouettes before playing with the Riders, Tiger-Cats, and the Alouettes for the second time.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson took home $400,000 in salary for the 2022 season. Argonauts paid McLeod a total of $228,000 in base salary.

His training allowance was set at $10,000 and $12,000 in housing though he received no signing bonus. The QB won the 2022 Grey Cup title alongside his teammate, Ja'Gared Davis, ending the season with a celebration.

However, he has left the CFL and will be playing for the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL) for the 2023 season. 

Toronto Sun confirmed that McLeod's decision came after his desire to spend time with his wife Chinaka Hodge and daughter Aziza in Atlanta.

Hence, he had turned down a contract of almost $500,000 with Argos and will be making less than the Canadian football league average salary.

Bo Levi Mitchell got $425,000 in hard money in 2022. His contract provision with the Calgary Stampeders also included a $100,000 signing bonus.

Meanwhile, the other incentive conditions were his chances to make $60,000 in playtime, earning a $3,333.33 bonus each time he takes at least 51 percent of the offensive snaps in a game.

The deal came after Mitchell restructured his contract with his team, as the Stampeders wanted to keep both him and Jake Maier. Hence, Mitchell cut down his original contract of $525,000 in 2022 to the relief of the Stampeders' president and GM, John Hufnagel.

As of January 24, 2023, Bo Levi has signed a three-year contract worth over $540,000 CAD annually with the Tiger-Cats. He will be receiving a total of $1.62 million over the course of years.

Dane Evans earned a salary of $432,000 in 2022 from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The 6 feet 1 inch tall Evans has now signed for BC Lions.

He also received a signing bonus of $170,000, $12,000 in housing with a $10,000 first-time active roster payment and a $2,000 travel allowance.

The contract's other conditions included $1,000 per game for playing 51 percent or more of the offensive snaps and $2,000 for being named an East Division all-star.

Furthermore, the other cases also provided $3,000 for being named a CFL all-star, $3,000 for being named the East Division Most Outstanding Player, and $7,000 for being named the league MOP, though Evans was not any.

For the 2023 season, Dane has been traded off to BC Lions, and his base salary is set at $94,000. However, he can earn up to a maximum of $151,000 if he achieves multiple incentive-based bonuses.

Evans will be competing for the number two quarterback role behind the starting QB Vernon Adams Jr.

Jeremiah Masoli took $432,000 from the Ottawa Redblacks in 2022. Besides his salary, Masoli also received a $100,000 signing bonus.

He could have taken $450,000 had he played 51 percent of the offensive snaps per game through the 18 regular season weeks. His contract is for two years, but a bone injury in his leg made him much of the 2022 season.

As for the 2023 season, the QB and the Redblacks have agreed to a contract restructuring which would pay Masolu an increased bonus salary.

Masoli will receive his base salary of $326,200, a $100,000 offseason roster bonus, and $50,000 for reporting to training camp. Meanwhile, his housing, travel, and performance bonuses remain the same making his maximum earnings at $508,000 for the upcoming season.

The new deal came after the tax benefits for the QB as he will be receiving more upfront in the form of a signing bonus. Meanwhile, the overall costs of Ottawa will also go down to bring in more players.

Cody Fajardo was paid a salary of $467,000 by Saskatchewan in 2022. He received a signing bonus of $170,000, $12,000 in housing, and a $5,000 travel allowance from the team.

The other incentive condition was the payment of $1,000 for each game in which he took 51 percent or more of the offensive snaps. 

Cody's 2022 final earnings had been initially cut down from his previous deal of $509,000. His decision helped the Riders lower his salary cap but receive more in bonuses which does not involve taxes.

For the 2023 season, he has signed with Montreal Alouettes in a two-year contract. CBC Sports reported that the quarterback will receive more than $300,000 annually, though, both parties have refrained from speaking on the monetary deal.

Zach Collaros earned a salary of $550,000 in hard money from Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2022, making him the highest-paid player in the CFL. 

The 34-year-old quarterback received a $87,000 signing bonus along with a base salary of $300,000. He became the MVP of the 2021 Grey Cup.

Zach is the three-time Grey Cup champion having won it in 2012, 2019 and 2021. Furthermore, he also won the CFL most outstanding player consecutively in the last two seasons.

His salary is recorded highest in the Canadian football league salary documentation. Collaros will continue playing with the Bombers while his pay remains under wraps for this season.