CFL’s top defensive player felt the time was right to take another shot at NFL
The best defensive player in the CFL thought it was time to try again in the NFL.
“You see excellent players, you get experience, and you pick up pre-snap keys faster when you play four seasons in the CFL after receiving a training camp offer from the NFL. In the last five years, I’ve also worked out, which has made me leaner, stronger, and more explosive. I don’t think there is anything I did five years ago that I can’t do better today, so I can definitely say that I feel like I’m in a better position to be added to an NFL squad.
The 28-year-old Betts is coming off a stellar ’23 campaign in which he recorded a CFL-high 18 sacks—the most by any Canadian player in a season. The Montreal native was awarded the league’s finest defensive player award for that.
You watch excellent players, get experience, and pick up pre-snap keys faster when you attend an NFL training camp before playing four seasons in the CFL. In the last five years, I’ve also worked out, which has made me leaner, stronger, and more explosive. I don’t think there is anything I did five years ago that I can’t do better today, so I can definitely say that I feel like I’m in a better position to be added to an NFL squad.
The 28-year-old Betts is coming off a stellar ’23 campaign in which he recorded a CFL-high 18 sacks—the most by any Canadian player in a season. The Montreal native was awarded the league’s finest defensive player award for that.
That undoubtedly placed Betts in a strong position going
That undoubtedly placed Betts in a strong position going
It was the perfect moment for Mathieu Betts to try again and make an NFL roster.
Shortly after becoming a free agency in the CFL, Betts inked a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday. The former Laval standout made his NFL debut in 2019 as an undrafted free agent who signed with the Chicago Bears, however he was released by the team before the playoffs.
But this time, the six-foot-three, 250-pound Betts will travel south of the border having already completed four seasons of professional football in addition to an NFL training camp. After being cut loose by Chicago, Betts played for the B.C. Lions (2022–2023) and Edmonton Elks (2019, 2021).
“If I had been in this state five years ago,
