The Edmonton Elks have signed American defensive lineman Jared Brinkman to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season.
Brinkman was already under contract for 2026 after joining the Elks as a free agent last year. In 16 games, he posted 23 defensive tackles and two sacks.
“I truly love playing under Coach Kilam and his staff,” Brinkman said in a statement. “His leadership and vision are the reason I want to be in Edmonton. The locker room we have is full of a group of guys I want to go to battle with every day.”
The 26-year-old spent his first three years in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts, dressing in 22 games. He recorded 31 defensive tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble while winning two Grey Cups.
Brinkman spent his college career at Northern Iowa from 2017 to 2021, where he accumulated 209 total tackles, 39.5 tackles-for-loss, 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles in 55 games for the Panthers. He was twice named Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year (2020, 2021).
The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team’s final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the first five, going 1-4, and threw for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Elks ranked ninth in net offence, ninth in net defence, and fifth with a turnover differential of plus-four. The club’s leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, the leading receiver was Kaion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and the leading tackler was Joel Dublanko with 80 tackles. Edmonton finished seventh in attendance with average crowds of 19,050, which was a 7.1 percent decrease from the previous year.
