The CFL has granted linebacker Maxime Rouyer a one-time exception to the league’s roster rules, changing his status from Global to National for the remainder of his career.
The Canadian Football League and its Players’ Association struck the deal to bring the Frenchman’s status in line with that of other foreign-born U Sports alumni, who are allowed to qualify as Nationals under the current collective bargaining agreement, so long as they have played at least three seasons and graduated from their U Sports institution. That rule was not in force when Rouyer graduated from McGill University, which limited him to Global status.
Traditionally, a player’s roster status at the time of his entry into the CFL is permanent and gets grandfathered in with all future changes. The special exception granted to Rouyer is believed to be the first of its kind under the current rules.
Notably, kicker Boris Bede, who hailed from France and attended Université Laval, continued to be counted as an American until his final season in 2024 because neither the current National rules nor the Global program existed when he was a rookie. Australian punter Josh Bartel was also famously considered a National until his final season in 2019, even though the rule that made him one was changed in 2014.
Argonauts defensive back Jonathan Edouard, who is American but played at Carleton University, is the most notable example of a player who counts as a National due to the U Sports pathway. Other recent draft picks to qualify in this way include Mexican offensive lineman Diego Alatorre, who was selected in the third round by Saskatchewan out of UBC in 2022, and French defensive back Yani Gouadfel, who was taken in the sixth round by Ottawa out of Bishop’s in 2024.
Rouyer was the only active Global player for whom the U Sports pathway rule could be applied retroactively.
The 31-year-old was selected fourth overall in the first round of the 2019 CFL European Draft, the precursor to the modern Global Draft, by the Edmonton Elks. He spent two seasons with the team before being released.
Rouyer spent the first part of the 2022 season with the Wroclaw Panthers in the European League of Football, amassing 89 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown. The native of Troyes, France, later signed with the B.C. Lions in September of that year, and has been with the team for four seasons, playing a key role on special teams and becoming one of the organization’s CFLPA player representatives.
In 60 career CFL games, Rouyer has collected eight defensive tackles, 26 special teams tackles, and a forced fumble.
Prior to his professional career, the six-foot-one, 225-pound linebacker attended McGill from 2015 to 2018, registering 103 total tackles and 4.5 sacks in 23 total games with the Redbirds. He moved to Canada at the age of 16 to attend Cégep de Jonquière.
Since 2019, CFL teams have been required to dress one Global player, hailing from outside the United States or Canada, as part of their gameday roster. Teams may also elect to use the 45th spot on the roster for either a second Global player or a 21st Canadian, with the majority of franchises in 2025 electing to use the spot for an international athlete. In addition, three extra practice roster spots are available for teams to use on Global players.
While those roster rules have forced teams that were reluctant to play international athletes to do so, Global status has become highly limiting as the level of talent available in the program has increased. While teams initially believed that they could play three or more Globals so long as those additional players replaced American roster spots, pushback from the CFLPA has capped the number at exactly two.
In the case of Rouyer, the Lions were only able to play him in eight games in 2025 due to the presence of South African punter Carl Meyer and Belgian defensive tackle Tibo Debaillie. While the team may have opted to dress the linebacker over other players for special teams value, they could not while their other two Globals were healthy and contributing.
That dynamic has deflated the value of some Global players in free agency and changed the way that teams approach the Global Draft, further entrenching the emphasis on punters and encouraging teams already comfortable with their incumbents to opt for futures picks rather than bring in talent to compete immediately.
The CFLPA has indicated to 3DownNation that they have no plans to pursue further exceptions like the one granted to Rouyer or re-examine the Global roster rules at this time.
Rouyer, who is slated to become a free agent on February 10, no longer has to worry about those problems. He’ll be able to sign his next contract as if he were a Canadian, which could improve his job prospects considerably.
