The Canadian Football League recently announced a salary cap raise of 3.6 percent, marking the second significant increase in as many years. Now just shy of $6.3 million, the salary cap has gone up 47.8 percent since 2010 and 19.6 percent since 2019.
Let’s start by making this clear: CFL players are not overpaid and this article is not intended to suggest as such. Instead, it’s meant to illustrate how player pay has evolved over the past 10 to 15 years and explain why some of the league’s recent free agent splashes created a sense of sticker shock for fans and pundits.
During the league’s 2026 free agent frenzy, 3DownNation received several messages questioning why certain players were able to command such high salaries or how teams were able to afford such large contracts.
The answer is simple: the CFL’s pay scale has dramatically changed. Instead of thinking about player contracts in terms of raw dollars, it’s better to consider their value as a percentage of the salary cap.
For example, a player who earned $85,000 in 2010, which was around two percent of the salary cap at the time, would make $125,000 under the CFL’s current cap. Contracts worth $125,000 in 2010 would be worth about $185,000 today, and players earning $170,000 in 2010 would now be making around $250,000. The list goes on.
Dejon Brissett signed with the Calgary Stampeders in free agency on a deal worth just shy of $210,000 in hard money. This initially might seem expensive for a receiver who has never had a 1,000-yard season, but it’s important to keep his earnings in context.
Relative to the salary cap, Brissett’s deal would have been worth around $140,000 in 2010. In 2014, it would have been worth $165,000. In 2018, it would have been worth $175,000.
These are the types of reported figures fans and pundits are used to seeing for a player of Brissett’s calibre. These days, however, that number is around $210,000.
Other deals some fans considered rich were offensive lineman Coulter Woodmansey with the Edmonton Elks at $300,000, running back Greg Bell with the Ottawa Redblacks at $175,000, and linebacker A.J. Allen with the Redblacks at $240,000. For reference, these contracts would have been worth the equivalent of around $200,000, $120,000, and $160,000 in 2010, respectively, prices that look a lot less shocking.
3DownNation reached out to several sources for examples of contracts signed around 10 to 15 years ago that seemed groundbreaking at the time. By today’s standards, these deals feel much more moderate.
Rob Murphy, who had recently won two Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman awards, signed with the Toronto Argonauts in 2009 on a deal worth a reported $195,000 per season. In 2016, the Argonauts signed Josh Bourke, a two-time East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, on a deal worth a reported $230,000.
Coming off an 1,100-yard season, Nick Moore signed a $170,000 deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2014. One source recalls “Nick Moore money” becoming a popular term in the years that followed from receivers who sought to earn similar contracts. In 2019, Toronto blew up the receiver market by signing Derel Walker to a deal worth $275,000.
Fresh-off being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Derek Dennis signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017 on a contract worth a little over $180,000 that year. Saskatchewan lured another lineman away from Calgary in 2019 when they signed Micah Johnson, who was then a three-time reigning All-CFL selection, for $250,000.
All-CFL defensive lineman Ted Laurent didn’t end up switching teams in 2016, though his contract extension with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was still worth an eye-popping $225,000. The Montreal Alouettes, Laurent’s hometown team, had reportedly made a massive bid for his services, albeit unsuccessfully.
Delvin Breaux got an unprecedented contract for an American defensive back when he returned from the NFL in 2018, reportedly making just shy of $200,000 with Hamilton.
Under today’s salary cap, Murphy and Bourke would be earning close to $285,000, Laurent and Johnson would be making around $300,000, Moore and Dennis would be getting close to $220,000, and Breaux’s contract would be worth around $240,000. As we can see, a lot of these numbers match the type of contracts handed out to this year’s top free agents.
The only agreement that really stands out is Walker’s, which is the equivalent of almost $330,000 under the current cap. Then again, this number isn’t far off recent deals given to star receivers Kenny Lawler and Eugene Lewis.
CFL salaries remain low compared to some professional leagues but they’re growing at strong rate. With a new television deal being negotiated for 2027, they may eventually balloon at an even faster rate. Some modern salaries might seem high, but they match older deals relative to the salary cap.
Don’t let sticker shock fool you, CFL fans. It’s just a matter of getting used to the league’s new pay scale.
