The Montreal Alouettes have added Rutgers University quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to their exclusive negotiation list.
Kaliakmanis has spent the past two seasons with the Scarlet Knights, completing 442-of-763 passes (58 percent) for 5,820 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He added 225 rushing yards and seven majors in 25 games
The six-foot-three, 212-pound pivot transferred after three seasons at the University of Minnesota. He played 23 games and made 17 starts with the Golden Gophers, throwing for 2,784 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, while running for 234 yards and three scores.
The native of Antioch, Ill., was a four-star recruit in the class of 2021 and won the Gatorade Player of the Year award in the state of Illinois during his senior high school season.
Kaliakmanis is eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft and recently competed in the American Bowl all-star game.
CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via the negotiation list on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that they are not eligible for the Canadian or Global Drafts, and have never played in the league before. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.
Being added to a negotiation list does not mean that the player has expressed interest in the CFL, and some are unaware that their rights have even been claimed. Players can only force their removal from the list if the team does not provide them with a minimum contract offer at their request.
The Montreal Alouettes finished second in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final before losing the 112th Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Davis Alexander went 7-0 as a starter during the regular-season, though he missed 11 games due to a hamstring injury.
The Alouettes ranked eighth in net offence, first in net defence, and third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was Stevie Scott III with 418 yards, the leading receiver was Tyler Snead with 1,129 yards, and the leading tackler was Darnell Sankey with 103 tackles. Montreal finished sixth in attendance with average crowds of 21,132, which was a 0.8 percent decrease from the previous year.
