Montreal Alouettes sign award-winning returner Mario Alford

Photo: Gideon Mojica/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Montreal Alouettes have signed American returner Mario Alford.

The 34-year-old was in training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but was released after the first preseason game to make room for Isaiah Wooden Sr. to return. He returned a missed field goal 112 yards for a touchdown in his lone appearance with the Tabbies, but it was called back due to a penalty on the Ticats.

Alford played in 11 regular-season games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025. He registered 44 punt returns for 476 yards and 31 kick-off returns for 876 yards with one touchdown. In the 112th Grey Cup win, the Greenville, Ga., native recorded three kick-off returns for 92 yards and three punt returns for 29 yards.

The five-foot-eight, 180-pound speedster holds the Riders’ franchise record for most career return touchdowns with nine, while tying the records for the most punt return touchdowns in a season (three) and game (two). He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2022 and a West Division all-star in 2023.

Alford has recorded one carry for 10 yards, nine catches for 77 yards, 286 punt returns for 3,278 yards, 197 kickoff returns for 4,771 yards, 15 missed field goal returns for 580 yards, and scored 12 total touchdowns over seven CFL seasons. He first arrived north of the border in 2018 with the Toronto Argonauts, before joining the Alouettes the next season. His first stint in Montreal ended when he was traded to Saskatchewan in July 2022, where he would immediately go on to be recognized as the league’s best returner.

Prior to coming north of the border, Alford was selected in the seventh round, 238th overall, in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, coming out of West Virginia University. He spent one year with the Bengals, then had stints with the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago Bears while earning $665,950 USD in the NFL.

The Montreal Alouettes (2-0) will visit the Edmonton Elks (1-0) at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, June 20, with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EDT. The Alouettes are coming off an impressive win over the Toronto Argonauts, while the Elks spent Week 2 on bye.

The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for a high of 18 degrees and a 60 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal or 880 CHED in Edmonton.