REDBLACKS release linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox; sign punter James Burnip
Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS have released American linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, the team announced on Friday.
Santos-Knox was set to become a free agent on February 10.
“We have the utmost respect for Jovan as a person and as a football player. A few sentences could not put into words what he has meant to our football club both on and off the field,” said Shawn Burke, vice-president of football operations of the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
“With this move today, we felt it was important to do right by him and allow him to get a head start on free agency. We wish him all the best in the future.”
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Santos-Knox, 31, suited up in 42 games over his three seasons in Ottawa (2023-25), registering 209 total tackles, five quarterback sacks and two interceptions.
He was named the REDBLACKS’ nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2025. For his career, the native of Waterbury, Connecticut has played 111 games, registering 549 total tackles, 16 quarterback sacks, five interceptions and four forced fumbles.
The REDBLACKS also announced on Friday that the football club has signed global punter James Burnip.
Burnip, 24, most recently spent training camp last year with the New Orleans Saints. The native of Mount Macedon, Victoria, Australia, was selected by the REDBLACKS in the second round, 14th overall in the 2025 CFL Global Draft. The former University of Alabama punter played 55 games over his four seasons with the Crimson Tide (2021-24), posting 201 punts for 8,808 yards (43.8 avg) with a career long of 67 yards. Burnip finished his career second in Alabama history in yards per punt, was a semi-finalist for the Ray Guy award in 2024 and earned All-American honours in 2023 (Pro Football Focus).
