EDMONTON — Tre Ford not only has a new contract, he finally has a vote of confidence from the Edmonton Elks.
The quarterback from Niagara Falls, Ont., met with the media at Commonwealth Stadium on Monday, three days after signing three-year deal with the Elks.
"Clearly, this is the young man that we want leading our team moving forward," Elks general manager, Ed Hervey said. "For all the things you’ve seen on the field, there’s so much off the field that he’s going to shoulder moving forward with this organization, especially with the long line of quarterbacks that have played here. This is an opportunity that we feel as an organization is well deserved."
The message from Hervey and head coach Mark Kilam was clear. The No. 1 job in Edmonton’s is now Ford’s to lose, not to win back.
Since the end of the 2024 season, the Elks have brought in new president Chris Morris and added Hervey and Kilam. The house has been cleaned.
The Elks made Ford a first-round draft pick in 2022. Since then, Ford has regularly been part of quarterback controversies in Edmonton. He’s been on many highlight reels, with his ability to scramble and improvise and use both his legs and arm to make big plays. But he was always on a short leash, no matter if it was Chris Jones or Jarious Jackson, who both coached Ford.
"I think there’s been good things and bad things,” Ford said of his first three years with the franchise. “I think that happens with every professional sport. But, I think it’s done a good job of keeping me level-headed — not to get too high or too low. There’s going to be good things and bad things, it’s all about how you’re going to react to them and adjust."
Ford started 10 games in 2023, threw for 2,069 yards and rushed for 622 more. He became a fan favourite. But Jones signed veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson to be the new starter in 2024, and relegated Ford to carrying a clipboard.
"We want Tre!” was a chant regularly heard at Commonwealth Stadium in 2024 as the team got off to an 0-7 start. Ford got the job back, got hurt, didn’t get the job back when he was healthy, but then got a chance to play again once the Elks were out of the playoff picture. He threw for 1,137 yards and rushed for another 206.
"Yeah, there were some things that were not so great. But it’s all behind me, now," Ford said.
The Elks have not made the playoffs since 2019. Ford is now the face of the franchise, but he knows that he has to work to repay the faith that the team’s new front office has placed in him.
"The opportunity is right in front of me," he said. "I have to be able to take full advantage of that in being able to grasp that opportunity, right? I need to take that next step as a leader and be that role model for my teammates, and go in the direction we want to go."
Kilam, who was an assistant with the Calgary Stampeders before taking over as Elks head coach, has faced Ford in the past.
"It’s no question that Tre puts a ton of pressure on every defence that he plays," Kilam said. "Sometimes, he gets mislabelled that he’s only using his legs. But he’s using his legs to open up the passing game."
Ford will remain in Edmonton in the off-season to work out and learn the new coaching staff’s system. He and his wife, Ani, are expecting their second child later this winter.
Hervey and Kilam have preached that the new Elks philosophy will lean on the days when the team was the Cadillac franchise of the CFL. There will be roster stability. There will be accountability. And Ford’s words suggest that he’s buying in.
"I feel like they are doing things the right way," Ford said. "And I am confident they’re going to bring in the correct guys, talented guys who are capable of winning football games. A lot of that turnover happens when you lose. But I think we’re in a situation where we’re leaning more towards winning."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press