The Montreal Alouettes have added former Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi to their negotiation list.
Lombardi’s CFL rights were previously held by the Calgary Stampeders, but they dropped him from their negotiation list on Thursday, January 29. He was listed as part of the Edmonton Elks’ neg list in 2024 and the Toronto Argonauts’ in 2023.
The native of Ann Arbor, Mich., most recently played for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League, dressing for two games in 2025. He completed 44.4 percent of his passes for 61 yards and one interception with the team and rushed three times for 30 yards.
The 27-year-old spent the first four seasons of his collegiate career at Michigan State University, where he completed 47.9 percent of his passes for 1,902 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 22 games.
Lombardi transferred to Northern Illinois University in 2021 and spent three seasons with the team, completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 5,516 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 602 yards and 17 scores.
The six-foot-three, 230-pound passer signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2024 but was released by the team at the conclusion of training camp.
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.
