MONTREAL — A familiar face is returning to Montreal.
The Alouettes have signed American receiver/returner Mario Alford, the team announced on Thursday. Alford was with the Als from 2019 to 2022.
Alford signed as a free agent with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this past February and was released by the team during the preseason. He played in the first quarter of Hamilton’s preseason game against Toronto, where he returned a missed field goal for a touchdown that was called back on a penalty.
The 35-year-old spent the 2025 season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, appearing in 11 games and recording 44 punt returns for 476 yards. Alford 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 to the West Division All-CFL team in 2023 and won a Grey Cup champion with Saskatchewan in 2025. He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2022 after amassing 38 kickoff returns for 990 yards and two touchdowns, 44 punt returns for 530 yards and one touchdown, along with three missed field goal returns for 129 yards and one touchdown.
The five-foot-eight, 180-pound native of Greenville, Georgia brings seven seasons of CFL experience, appearing in 74 regular season games and totalling 286 punt returns for 3,278 yards and seven touchdowns. Alford has played in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts (2018), Montreal Alouettes (2019–2022), and Saskatchewan Roughriders (2022–2025).
