Lead a horse to Vaughters: Stampeders ink DE James Vaughters to two-year extension

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The Calgary Stampeders have signed American defensive end James Vaughters to a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2025 season.

The 30-year-old returned to Calgary in 2023 after a four-year stint in the NFL but played just six games before suffering a season-ending arm injury. Prior to being placed on the six-game injured list, he had amassed 17 defensive tackles and five sacks.

The six-foot-two, 250-pound edge rusher dressed for 33 games over two seasons with the Stampeders in 2017 and 2018, recording 50 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, and 11 sacks. He won a Grey Cup in his second year as a member of the team.

Vaughters signed with the Chicago Bears in 2019 and dressed for 17 games over two seasons as a member of the team, recording 25 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He joined the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 after being waived by the Bears and played 10 games with the club, making eight total tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He spent training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 but was released as part of final cuts.

The native of Chicago, Ill. played four seasons of college football at Stanford and recorded 124 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries over 54 games.