Elks send quarterback Trevor Harris to Montreal for defensive end
The Edmonton Elks traded veteran quarterback Trevor Harris to the Montreal Alouettes in a one-for-one exchange.
Announced Sunday, the Elks will receive defensive end Antonio Simmons in return.
Simmons is playing his second season in the Canadian Football League (CFL) after signing with Montreal in 2019. During his time with the Alouettes, Simmons registered five sacks, 52 tackles, and one forced fumble.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native played four years at Georgia Tech, collecting seven quarterback sacks and 86 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss. In 2018 he spent time in the National Football League with both the Denver Broncos and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Harris appeared in 19 games with Edmonton, including six this season. He has played 139 games in the CFL and is currently 24th in all-time passing yards for the league with 23,750.
This season he has completed 135 passes out of 192 attempts, including only nine of 22 during the match with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Oct. 8.
Elks head coach Jaime Elizondo benched Harris for Friday’s rematch against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and tapped rookie backup Taylor Cornelius to start.
The Elks have lost five games in a row this season and sit dead last in the league’s standings at 2-7.
'WE WANT TO WIN RIGHT NOW'
Brock Sunderland, general manager and vice president football operations, said the trade happened because the Elks decided to stick with Cornelius as their lead quarterback.
“We felt it was in the best interest of the organization and for Trevor Harris to make this move,” Sunderland said. “We wish nothing but the best for him, on and off the field.
“We feel we needed better play at the quarterback position,” he added, saying Harris’ style of play was not consistent. “We feel the combination of Taylor and Dakota (Prukop) give us that best option at this time.”
The other factor that led to Sunday’s trade was that Montreal had a need for a quarterback, Sunderland said.
“Montreal lost Vernon Adams. We felt like we could get a little bit of value in making this move.”
Sunderland added that Friday’s game against Winnipeg showed the potential that Cornelius has as a young quarterback.
“We played very well. I think with Taylor as a starting quarterback, we went toe to toe with the best team in the league and had every opportunity to win that game.
“We want to win right now,” he said, “and moving to Taylor gives us, in our opinion, gives us that best opportunity.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.