The Toronto Argonauts have added American quarterback Luis Perez to their negotiation list after his rights were dropped by the Montreal Alouettes on Monday.
The 31-year-old has been nicknamed ‘The Spring King’ for his experience in the Alliance of American Football, Xtreme Football League, United States Football League, and United Football League.
The six-foot-three, 222-pound passer has played 51 regular-season games across the various leagues, throwing for 9,313 yards, 53 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. He is currently a member of the Dallas Renegades, the same team he led to an XFL championship in 2023.
Perez played collegiately at East Texas A&M University where he threw for 8,327 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over two seasons as the team’s starter. In 2017, he won the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top player in NCAA Division II football, as well as a Division II National Championship.
The native of San Diego, Calif. has had NFL stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers, though he never played a regular-season game with any of those teams.
In a corresponding move, the Argonauts dropped the rights to Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, who threw for 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions as a redshirt sophomore with the Aggies in 2025.
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 Toronto Argonauts finished third in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 5-13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Franchise quarterback Chad Kelly was unable to play all season due to a fractured leg he suffered in the East Final the previous year, giving way to Nick Arbuckle, who threw for 4,370 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions to be named the team’s candidate for Most Outstanding Player.
The Argonauts ranked seventh in net offence, sixth in net defence, and seventh with a turnover differential of minus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was Spencer Brown with 314 yards, leading receiver was Dejon Brissett with 907 yards, and leading tackler was Cameron Judge with 79 tackles. Toronto ranked ninth in attendance with average crowds of 15,109, which was a 0.1 percent decrease from the previous year.
