Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
EDMONTON — It didn’t take long for kicker Boris Bede to find a home.
After being released by the Toronto Argonauts on Monday, the veteran kicker signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Elks on Tuesday.
Bede joins the Green and Gold after three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts (2021-23), reuniting him with former teammates in wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
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The 34-year-old is coming off an outstanding season in 2023, where he converted 37-of-39 fields goals for a career-high 94.9 per cent in 17 games for the Double Blue. He also led the CFL in kickoff yards (6,194), kickoff average (71.2), and was named a CFL East Division All-Star for the third time in his career (2015, 2021, 2023). The native of Toulon, France helped the Argos win the 109th Grey Cup over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2022, recording 12 points in the championship game, while also converting a career-high 43 field goals that season.
Bede enters the 2024 season as the CFL’s all-time leader for kickoff average for career (69.4) and single season (73.0). Through 128 career CFL regular season games, the Laval University product is 249-for-298 on field goal attempts (83.6%) and has an average of 44.5 on 649 punts.
“Boris is a weapon and a game changer, whether pinning opposing teams deep or closing out a game with a long field goal. We’re excited to have him in Green and Gold,” said Elks assistant general manager Geroy Simon.
The six-foot-four kicker began his CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015, playing in 80 games over five seasons with the Als before being traded to the Boatmen in 2020.
