Photo courtesy: Birmingham Stallions
The Ottawa Redblacks have added American quarterback Matt Corral to their exclusive negotiation list.
Corral is currently playing in the United Football League and was traded from the Birmingham Stallions to the Orlando Storm on Sunday. He completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 768 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions through four games with Birmingham this season, posting a 1-3 record.
The 27-year-old had played for the Stallions since 2024, save for a training camp stint with the Minnesota Vikings that year, dressing for 13 games and making nine starts. He has thrown for 1,911 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in the UFL.
Corral was originally selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers, but missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. He was waived following training camp the next year and claimed by the New England Patriots, but left the team for an undisclosed reason after three practices and was eventually released. He has never dressed for an NFL game.
The six-foot-two, 215-pound pivot attended the University of Mississippi, where he dressed for 37 games and made 27 starts. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 8,281 yards, 57 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions, while rushing for 1,338 yards and 18 touchdowns.
CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via the negotiation list on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that they are not eligible for the Canadian or Global Drafts, and have never played in the league before. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.
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. Players can only force their removal from the list if the team does not provide them with a minimum contract offer at their request.
Corral was previously listed on the B.C. Lions’ neg list in 2021.
The Ottawa Redblacks were the CFL’s most active team in free agency, adding players like quarterback Jake Maier, running back Greg Bell, offensive lineman Martez Ivey, defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado, linebacker A.J. Allen, strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis, and defensive back Demerio Houston. The team also had a few key departures, including quarterback Dustin Crum (Montreal Alouettes), strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett (Toronto Argonauts), and return specialist DeVonte Dedmon (Montreal Alouettes).
The Redblacks hold the first overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. The team will play its first preseason game against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 22, and its first regular-season game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 6.
In 2025, Ottawa finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ryan Dinwiddie was hired as the team’s head coach and general manager after the firing of Bob Dyce.
