The Edmonton Elks have agreed to terms with American quarterback Taylor Powell, per sources. Barring anything unforeseen, he’s expected to sign with the team. TSN was first to report the news.
Powell first came to the CFL as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023, where he started nine games as a rookie. He completed 67.5 percent of his pass attempts for 2,283 yards, 10 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, and rushed 28 times for 196 yards and one score. He led Hamilton in every major passing category that season and recorded the most wins of any of the team’s quarterbacks.
Scott Milanovich expressed excitement about Powell’s future when he was promoted to head coach ahead of the 2024 season, and made the decision to bench Mitchell for his backup midway through that campaign. However, the Fayetteville, Ark. native was knocked out of his first start with a head injury and never regained the starting job.
Powell threw for 422 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, and added eight carries for 71 yards along the ground. He threw just eight passes despite suiting up for all 18 regular-season games in 2025, completing six of those for 47 yards.
Before joining the Tiger-Cats, Powell attended rookie camp with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers in 2023. The 27-year-old played his college football at three schools with stops at Missouri (2017-19), Troy (2021), and Eastern Michigan (2022), throwing for 3,793 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions across 14 combined starts.
Ed Hervey, the general manager in Edmonton, was the assistant general manager in Hamilton when Powell was signed.
Pending CFL free agents can negotiate with teams across the league during the communication window, which closes on Sunday, February 8. Players can agree to terms on a contract with a particular franchise; however, the deals are not legally binding and can’t be made official until after free agency opens on Tuesday, February 10.
Powell was 3DownNation’s No. 15-ranked pending CFL free agent.
The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team’s final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the first five, going 1-4, and threw for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Elks ranked ninth in net offence, ninth in net defence, and fifth with a turnover differential of plus-four. The club’s leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, the leading receiver was Kaion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and the leading tackler was Joel Dublanko with 80 tackles. Edmonton finished seventh in attendance with average crowds of 19,050, which was a 7.1 percent decrease from the previous year.
