Official: Edmonton Elks sign former Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Joe Robustelli

Photo courtesy: Maggie Stemp-Turner/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Edmonton Elks have officially signed receiver Joe Robustelli to a one-year contract for the 2026 CFL season. 3DownNation reported the agreement during the negotiation window.

Per sources, Robustelli received a $15,000 signing bonus to ink the deal, it’s worth $116,000 in hard money and includes a possible $10,000 additional in incentives. That’s a raise from the $73,250 he earned last year. His contract was negotiated by longtime agent Fred Weinrauch.

The 28-year-old spent his first two CFL seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Robustelli suited up in 12 games during the 2025 campaign, recording 38 receptions for 544 yards with three touchdowns. His performance in Week 6 against the Calgary Stampeders, 11 receptions for 191 yards with one TD, showed the upside the Stamford, Connecticut native has in the CFL.

Robustelli suited up for Tusculum University in Tennessee during the 2023 NCAA Division II season. He made 20 receptions for 475 yards, averaging 23.8 yards per catch, while scoring six touchdowns in eight games with the Pioneers.

Trevor Harris compared Robustelli to former CFL all-star pass catcher Greg Ellingson during training camp last year. Ellingson played with Harris for multiple seasons in Ottawa and Edmonton during his three-down league career.

Pending CFL free agents were able to communicate with teams around the league from February 1 to 8, during which time contracts could be negotiated and agreed upon but not signed. Starting, Tuesday, February 10 at noon EST, players can officially change teams.

Edmonton 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 team’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.