Edmonton Elks QB Changes: Taylor Cornelius Out, McLeod Bethel-Thompson In?
Taylor Cornelius is looking for a new home after the Edmonton Elks released the quarterback on Thursday, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji. Cornelius will be owed $100,000 guaranteed for the 2024 season.
Edmonton has had Cornelius on the roster since 2021, playing in a total of 44 games. He has thrown for 5,868 yards, with 25 touchdowns to 31 interceptions. Cornelius also added 907 rushing yards and 16 scores.
Before the CFL, Cornelius was the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL in 2020, throwing for 858 yards with four touchdowns to six interceptions. The league canceled its season after five games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He went to training camp with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 before getting cut.
Hearing the #Elks are releasing QB Taylor Cornelius. He will be owed 100k guaranteed for the coming season. @SportsCentre pic.twitter.com/or1X6e5ouK
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) January 5, 2024
Where the plot thickens is Cornelius could be rotated in for another quarterback in Edmonton. That man could be McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
The former Toronto Argonauts quarterback is close to a deal with the Elks, sources told Dave Campbell.
This report is brought to you by the letters M, B, and T. Hearing the #Elks and the former veteran Argos QB are inching towards a deal. #CFL https://t.co/zoPnsUPfS4
— Dave Campbell (@Dave_CHED) January 5, 2024
Bethel-Thompson spent last season in the USFL for the New Orleans Breakers, where he threw for a league-leading 2,433 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games. New Orleans made the playoffs before losing to the eventual USFL champions Birmingham Stallions.
The 35-year-old quarterback previously played in the CFL for five seasons, all being with the Argos. He has thrown for 13,261 yards with 70 touchdown passes in 74 games. His accomplishments include leading the CFL in passing yards (4,731) in 2022, leading the league in passing touchdowns (26) in 2019, being selected to the CFL East All-Star twice and winning two Grey Cups with Toronto.
Edmonton has been pursuing Bethel-Thompson for some time. This would mean that there could be a quarterback competition in training camp between Bethel-Thompson and Tre Ford.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.