Calgary Stampeders sign RB Deonta McMahon after release from Toronto Argonauts

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

The Calgary Stampeders have signed American running back Deonta McMahon.

McMahon plaeyed 39 regular-season games over three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts. He won the 2024 Grey Cup with the Double Blue, recording two receptions for 41 yards in the CFL championship game.

The 25-year-old amassed 128 carries for 578 yards with eight touchdowns, 58 receptions for 431 yards plus one major, eight punt returns for 61 yards and 33 kick-off returns for 687 yards. All total, he registered 1,588 all-purpose yards and scored nine touchdowns with the Argos.

Prior turning pro, McMahon played three NCAA seasons at McNeese State University. As a senior in 2022, he was named the Southland Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honours at running back and kick returner. He rushed for 1,408 yards, 128 yards per game, and scored 14 total touchdowns that year.

In 27 career games for the Cowboys, McMahon rushed 337 times for 2,155 yards, 6.4 per carry, and 21 touchdowns. He also had 57 catches for 519 yards and two scores, plus 13 kick-off returns for 272 yards. The five-foot-eight, 185-pound back transferred to McNeese State after two seasons at Butte College in Oroville, California. In 2018, he rushed 166 times for 1,124 yards with 15 touchdowns in 11 games for the Roadrunners.

Calgary finished third in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record but lost the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 4,247 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 17 regular-season starts, posting a 11-6 record as the team’s starting quarterback.

The Stampeders ranked fourth in net offence, seventh in net defence, and second with a turnover differential of plus-nine. Dedrick Mills won the CFL’s rushing title with 1,409 yards, while the team’s leading receiver was Dominique Rhymes with 886 yards, and leading tackler was Jacob Roberts with 102 tackles. Calgary finished fifth in attendance with average crowds of 22,295, which was a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.