Jamie Holt/Virginia Athletics
With all the chatter about Diego Pavia’s possible CFL future, it seems like a great time to take a look at the longest-tenured player on each team’s negotiation list.
CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via their negotiation list on a first-come, first-serve basis, provided they aren’t draft-eligible and have never played in the league before. In some cases, teams are willing to carry a player on the list for several years with the hopes of eventually bringing them to Canada.
Being added to a negotiation list does not mean that the player has expressed interest in the CFL, and some are unaware that their rights have even been claimed. These rights can be added, traded, or removed by teams at any time.
Here is each CFL team’s longest-tenured negotiation list player.
B.C. Lions — QB Chandler Morris
Date added: November 14, 2021
The six-foot, 190-pound passer has been on B.C.’s negotiation list for the better part of five years but has yet to sign his first professional contract. It remains unclear if Morris will ever make his way to Vancouver, though he went unselected in the recent 2026 NFL Draft.
The 25-year-old originally committed to the University of Oklahoma where he was a backup to current New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. After three years at Texas Christian University, he broke out at the University of North Texas in 2024 where he threw for 3,774 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to earn a second-team All-ACC selection.
Morris finished his collegiate career at the University of Virginia in 2025, where he went 11-3 as a starter and completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 3,000 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Calgary Stampeders — DL Pita Taumoepenu
Date added: May 28, 2019
The reigning UFL Defensive Player of the Year is not only the longest-tenured negotiation list player for the Stampeders but the entire CFL.
Taumoepenu was originally a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers out of the University of Utah. He played 11 regular-season games over stints with the 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets, recording five combined tackles.
The six-foot-two, 245-pound defender has since been a standout in the XFL and UFL and remains on the roster with the St. Louis Battlehawks. The native of Euless, Texas recently turned 32, making him the oldest player on this list.
Edmonton Elks — RB ShunDerrick Powell
Date added: January 2, 2025
The 23-year-old attended training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025 but didn’t make the team’s final roster. Powell signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in January, then was let go in April.
The five-foot-seven, 183-pound ball-carrier finished his collegiate career as a first-team FCS All-American at the University of Central Arkansas in 2024. He rushed for 1,343 yards, caught 36 passes for 318 yards, and scored 17 touchdowns that year before running a 4.40-second forty-yard dash at his pro day.
Powell rushed for 3,934 yards, caught 88 passes for 751 yards, returned 12 kicks for 269 yards, and scored 41 touchdowns over 42 collegiate games.
Photo: Wisconsin Athletics
Saskatchewan Roughriders — QB Tanner Mordecai
Date added: September 12, 2021
The 26-year-old attended training camp with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 but has been a free agent ever since. Mordecai’s agent told 3DownNation in March that he’s not considering signing a CFL contract, so it appears unlikely he’ll end up in Riderville.
The six-foot-two, 210-pound passer spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma where he was a teammate of Morris, Rattler, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. He later started at Southern Methodist University and the University of Wisconsin, throwing for 9,857 yards, 85 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions.
The former second-team All-AAC selection ran a blazing 4.46-second forty-yard dash at his pro day, rushing for 606 yards and eight touchdowns at the collegiate level.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers — QB Mark Gronowski
Date added: May 10, 2021
The 24-year-old went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft before signing with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. Gronowski went 9-4 as a starter at the University of Iowa in 2025, completing 63.1 percent of his pass attempts for 1,741 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 545 yards and 16 scores.
The six-foot-three, 230-pound passer spent the first five seasons of his collegiate career at South Dakota State University, where he was a four-time All-Conference selection, two-time Conference Offensive Player of the Year, first-team FCS All-American, Walter Payton Award winner, and two-time FCS National Champion.
Gronowski threw for 12,049 yards, 103 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions over 68 collegiate games. He went 58-10 as a starter and rushed for 2,312 yards and 53 scores.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats — QB Adrian Martinez
Date added: December 14, 2020
The native of Hanford, Calif. went unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft but has since had five different stints in the league as a member of the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers, dressing for one regular-season game in 2025.
Martinez was named the UFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2024 with the Birmingham Stallions when he threw for 1,750 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions, and rushed 54 times for 530 yards and three scores.
The 26-year-old played collegiately at the University of Nebraska and Kansas State University, throwing for 9,752 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions, and rushing for 2,928 yards and 45 scores.
Handout: Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts — QB Jason Bean
Date added: March 9, 2023
The six-foot-two, 196-pound passer is currently a member of the DC Defender after starting the UFL season with the Louisville Kings.
The native of Mansfield, Texas spent one year on the practice roster with the Indianapolis Colts after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft but was cut at the conclusion of training camp in 2025.
Bean went 11-19 as a starter over a six-year collegiate career at the University of North Texas and the University of Kansas. He threw for 5,969 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions, and rushed 251 times for 1,344 yards and 14 scores.
Ottawa Redblacks — QB Nick Vattiato
Date added: August 6, 2024
The 23-year-old completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 2,150 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions over nine games at Middle Tennessee State University in 2025, his final collegiate season.
The six-foot, 212-pound native of Plantation, Fla. spent his entire collegiate career with the Blue Raiders, completing 64.7 percent of his pass attempts for 9,674 yards, 62 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions. He also rushed for 516 yards and five scores.
Vattiato recently went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft and is currently a free agent.
Montreal Alouettes — REC Jacob De Jesus
Date added: August 8, 2024
The Alouettes were well ahead of the curve on De Jesus, who had only played one season of FBS football when he was added to the team’s negotiation list.
The five-foot-seven, 170-pound target became a household name in 2025 when he caught 108 passes for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns. He was named first-team All-ACC, leading him to pursue another year of collegiate eligibility to remain at the University of California.
Over five collegiate seasons — two at Modesto Junior College, two at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and one at California, he caught 309 passes for 3,519 yards, returned 173 kicks for 2,970 yards, and scored 18 touchdowns.
The native of Manteca, Calif. recently signed with the Kansas City Chiefs after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
