Bo Levi Mitchell left money on the table but negotiated a $100,000-plus raise to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2026.
The six-foot-one, 210-pound QB received a $210,000 signing bonus to ink his two-year extension with the Ticats. He has a $210,000 base salary, $40,000 in marketing money, $15,300 for housing and a $10,000 travel allowance to equal $485,300 in hard money.
Mitchell also has $30,000 available in incentives, which can be unlocked if he makes the active roster and plays one snap in 16 games. Should he achieve that bonus, his total for 2026 would top out at $515,300.
The 35-year-old ranks fifth after B.C.’s Nathan Rourke, Toronto’s Chad Kelly, Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros and Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. among starting quarterbacks for financial compensation in 2026. Ottawa’s Dru Brown, Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris and Edmonton’s Cody Fajardo are behind him.
Mitchell earned $374,800 in 2025. He made around $350,000 in 2024 after collecting more than $500,000 in 2023, his first year in the Steel City. In 2019, the Katy, Texas native was the three-down league’s second-highest paid player at $675,000 while playing with the Calgary Stampeders, which was the most he’s earned in one season during his career.
The Ticats’ QB1 completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 5,296 passing yards with 36 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions in 2025. He added 21 carries for 124 yards and his first rushing touchdown since 2015 last season. Mitchell started all 18 regular-season games, compiled an 11-7 win-loss record, and led Hamilton to first place in the East Division.
The 13-year veteran has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 44,319 yards, eighth-most in CFL history, with 262 touchdowns compared to 128 interceptions in his CFL career, while producing a 110-46-2 win-loss-tie record during the regular season. He’s rushed 211 times for 1,034 yards, 4.9 per carry, and 14 majors. Mitchell has won two Grey Cups (2014 and 2018), two Grey Cup MVPs, and two Most Outstanding Player awards (2016 and 2018).
The Tabbies ranked third in net offence, eighth in net defence, and first with a plus-10 turnover differential. The team’s leading rusher was Greg Bell with 1,038 yards, the leading receiver was Kenny Lawler with 1,443 yards, and the leading tackler was Stavros Katsantonis with 69 tackles. Hamilton ranked fourth in attendance with average crowds of 22,858, which was a 3.9 percent increase from the previous year.
