• Despite injuries, Vernon Adams Jr. is the MOP frontrunner: Adams still leads the league with a 91.7 passing grade and 28 big-time throws (second place is 13) with just nine turnover-worthy plays.
• Watch out for RB Ka’Deem Carey in Toronto: Carey is leading the league with a 93.0 rushing grade and has forced 34 missed tackles (10 more than second place).
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
The 2024 CFL season is about halfway over, which means it’s time to take a look at some awards races — specifically, the race for the Most Outstanding Player Award. At this point last year, it was essentially a two-horse race between Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros and Toronto’s Chad Kelly.
This season has been less clear. Injuries have decimated the quarterback situation for almost every team. Historic paces have slowed. The two betting favorites haven’t played a snap in weeks. The race is still wide open, so let’s take a look at all the candidates.
The Favorites
QB Vernon Adams Jr., British Columbia Lions
A month ago, we wrote about how Vernon Adams Jr. was on pace for a historic season. Through six games, he was the heavy favorite to win Most Outstanding Player. But in the two games that followed, Adams struggled to the tune of a 38.0 PFF passing grade and five turnover-worthy plays, before leaving the game due to injury. He missed last week’s game, and there’s no timeline on a return, although both the Lions and Adams himself have said it shouldn’t be long-term.
If Adams can come back and play at the level he began the season at, the award is his. He still leads the league with a 91.7 PFF passing grade and 28 big-time throws (second place is 13) with just nine turnover-worthy plays. The biggest threat to Vernon Adams winning the award is the fact that the Lions just signed former Most Outstanding Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke.
QB Cody Fajardo, Montreal Alouettes
It’s bizarre to see a quarterback who hasn’t played since Week 6 listed here at the top of the rankings, but that just shows what kind of season it’s been for quarterbacks. At the time of his injury, Fajardo had an 87.8 PFF overall grade and ranked second in both big-time throw rate (5.7%) and turnover-worthy play rate (2.3%). Perhaps more importantly, Montreal was 5-1 and in first place in the CFL.
If Fajardo returns soon and plays out the season, there’s plenty of time for him to earn this award. He’s more than capable of leading this Montreal team to the top record in the CFL. One point working against Fajardo may be that the Alouettes have gone 3-0 without him. He is their leader on offense, but he also has the best overall team in the league.
Keep an Eye on Them
RB Ka’Deem Carey, Toronto Argonauts
Only one running back has won this award this century, and that was Jon Cornish in 2013 when he gained more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and averaged more than 7.0 yards per touch.
Carey is leading the league with a 93.0 PFF rushing grade and has forced 34 missed tackles (10 more than second place). He won’t have the pure numbers to match that Cornish season, but it’s been his impact that could win him this award. Toronto’s quarterback situation has been a mess and their defense has been hit-or-miss. And yet, they are 5-4 and in the thick of the playoff race. They have the number-one scoring offense in the league, and Carey is the driving force behind it. If he can continue to lead Toronto to wins, he could surge to the top of the Most Outstanding Player race.
QB Zach Collaros, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Collaros being on this list is almost entirely based on potential and not at all on how the season has gone so far. The Winnipeg quarterback really struggled early in the season. He dealt with receiver injuries, an offensive line developing chemistry and his own inaccuracy issues. Through Week 7, Collaros had just a 66.7 PFF passing grade and 10 turnover-worthy plays.
But over his past two games, Collaros has thrown for more than 600 yards on an 85.5% adjusted completion rate, good for an 83.7 PFF passing grade. Winnipeg is currently 3-6, but they are only three spots out of the top spot in the West Division. Collaros will get All-Star wide receiver Kenny Lawler back from injury this weekend. If he can help Winnipeg turn this season around, he could put himself in the MOP discussion.
QB Tre Ford, Edmonton Elks
Time is a flat circle when it comes to the Edmonton Elks lately. For the second straight year, the team found itself sitting at the bottom of the West Division without a single win. For the second straight year, they turned to backup quarterback Tre Ford to turn their season around. The Canadian signal-caller has helped lead the Elks to two straight wins and put them back in the playoff race.
Ford hasn’t played enough snaps to qualify, but his current 90.0 PFF overall grade would rank second in the CFL. As is the case with almost every team’s quarterback this year, Ford was injured in his most recent game. It’s unknown how serious the injury is, but any missed time is bad news, considering he didn’t play until Edmonton’s seventh game of the season. However, if Ford can return quickly, stay healthy and lead Edmonton to an unlikely playoff spot, he would have to be considered for the MOP award.
The Longshots
WR Justin McInnis, British Columbia Lions/WR Tyson Philpot, Montreal Alouettes
For a receiver to win the Most Outstanding Player award, they either need to have a historic season or carry a team in a year where no quarterback stands out. With all the quarterback injuries this season, both of these receivers could sneak into that spot.
McInnis and Philpot are on pace for 100-plus catches, 1,500-plus yards and 10-plus touchdowns. Both have dealt with catching passes from different quarterbacks due to injuries. McInnis is the highest-graded receiver in the league currently (83.5 receiving grade). He also ranks first in contested catches (15) and explosive receptions (26). Philpot’s 72.7 receiving grade ranks fifth, but he leads the league with a ridiculous 22 missed tackles forced. The two pace the league in yards per route run average, with McInnis’ 2.53-yard average just edging out Philpot’s 2.32-yard average.
If either player can continue on this pace, especially through the quarterback injuries, they could sneak into the award discussion.
DB Rolan Milligan, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Only once in league history has a defensive player won the Most Outstanding Player Award (Solomon Elimimian in 2014), and he set a CFL record for tackles in a season. It’s safe to say that a defensive player would likely need a record-breaking performance to earn the award. Enter Milligan, the highest-graded defensive halfback in the CFL so far this season (87.7).
The Roughrider has a league-leading six interceptions, which is still a ways away from the CFL-record 15. But Milligan also has four dropped interceptions. If he catches just half of those, then he’s ahead of the record pace. He’ll have plenty of opportunities for more picks, too. Milligan is the fourth-most targeted player in the CFL, with 48 through nine games. Saskatchewan also faces the most pass attempts in the league. It would take a lot to go his way to break that record, but Milligan has put himself in a good spot. If he can do it, he could become the second-ever defensive Most Outstanding Player.
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