Mathieu Betts
Mathieu Betts (born March 22, 1995) is a Canadian professional football defensive lineman for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Betts is the only player in U Sports football history to have won four major individual awards, after he won the 2015 Peter Gorman Trophy as the most outstanding rookie and three J. P. Metras Trophies between 2016 and 2018, as the most outstanding down lineman. He is also a two-time Vanier Cup champion, having won in 2016 and 2018.
 Betts with the BC Lions in 2025 | |
| No. 90 – BC Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive lineman |
| Roster status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 22, 1995 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| University | Laval |
| CFL draft | 2019: 1st round, 3rd overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 2019 | Chicago Bears* |
| 2019–2021 | Edmonton Eskimos / Elks |
| 2022–2023 | BC Lions |
| 2024 | Detroit Lions* |
| 2024–present | BC Lions |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Mathieu Betts (born March 22, 1995) is a Canadian professional football defensive lineman for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Betts is the only player in U Sports football history to have won four major individual awards, after he won the 2015 Peter Gorman Trophy as the most outstanding rookie and three J. P. Metras Trophies between 2016 and 2018, as the most outstanding down lineman.[1] He is also a two-time Vanier Cup champion, having won in 2016 and 2018.
University career
[edit]Betts began his U Sports football career with the Laval Rouge et Or in 2015 where he recorded a nation-leading 12 sacks in eight regular season games played en route to being named the Most Outstanding Rookie.[2] In 2016, he had nine sacks in eight regular season games, second-best in the country, and was named the Most Outstanding Down Lineman at season's end.[3] He also won his first Vanier Cup championship as part of Laval's 52nd Vanier Cup win. He won his second consecutive J. P. Metras Trophy in 2017 and won for the third time in 2018, becoming the first player to ever win the award three times.[1] He finished his fourth year of eligibility in 2018 with another Vanier Cup championship in the 54th Vanier Cup game.
Professional career
[edit]
In the 2019 CFL Scouting Bureau Rankings for December, Betts was named as the top available prospect in the 2019 CFL draft.[4] He was one of two U Sports players invited to play in the 2019 East–West Shrine Game.[5] On May 2, he was selected third overall in the 2019 CFL draft by the Edmonton Eskimos, though at the time he was under contract with the Chicago Bears.[6]
Chicago Bears
[edit]After the 2019 NFL draft on April 27, 2019, Betts signed with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League as an undrafted free agent on a three-year contract.[7] Betts was among the final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.[8]
Edmonton Eskimos / Elks
[edit]Betts formally joined the Edmonton Eskimos on September 9, 2019, after being selected by the Eskimos in the first round of the 2019 CFL draft.[9] In his first game, Betts made a major contribution in making a sack, forcing a fumble against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The following week against the Ottawa Redblacks, Betts had another sack. In total, he played in six games and recorded one defensive tackle, two sacks, and one forced fumble in his rookie season. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season.
In 2021, Betts played in 13 of the 14 regular season games where he had 12 defensive tackles, but did not record a sack. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 8, 2022.[10]
BC Lions (first stint)
[edit]On the first day of free agency, on February 8, 2022, Betts signed with the BC Lions.[11] Betts played in all 17 regular season games and contributed with 26 defensive tackles, seven sacks and two tackles on special teams. Following the season, in early January 2023, he had a workout with the Jacksonville Jaguars.[12]
In 2023, Betts had a dominant season where he started in all 18 regular season games and recorded 44 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, 18 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one blocked kick.[13] Notably, on October 20, 2023, in BC's last game of the regular season, Betts broke the record for most sacks by a National player when he recorded his 18th sack and surpassed Brent Johnson (2005) and Jamaal Westerman (2015) who each had 17 in a single season.[13][14] At the end of season, he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and a CFL All-Star.[15] He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 13, 2024.[16]
Detroit Lions
[edit]On February 13, 2024, it was announced that Betts had signed with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).[17][18]
On August 27, 2024, Betts was waived by the Lions and cleared the next day, after going unclaimed.[19][20]
BC Lions (second stint)
[edit]On August 29, 2024, it was announced that Betts had re-signed with the BC Lions, on a deal covering the remainder of the 2024 season.[21][22] He signed a two-year contract extension with BC on December 19, 2024.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Calgary QB Sinagra highlights 2018 football award winners and All-Canadians". November 22, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ "Mathieu Betts 2015 stats". Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ "Mathieu Betts 2016 stats". Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ Betts tops December edition of Scouting Bureau rankings, Canadian Football League, December 6, 2018, retrieved December 6, 2018
- ^ "Betts à la Classique East-West Shrine". November 29, 2018.
- ^ Campbell, Dave (May 2, 2019). "Edmonton Eskimos select DL Mathieu Betts in 1st round of 2019 CFL Draft". Global News. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ Kryk, John (April 27, 2019). "Chicago Bears sign Montrealer Mathieu Betts after NFL Draft". Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (August 31, 2019). "Chicago Bears announce 53-man roster". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Report: Esks agree to terms with former top prospect Mathieu Betts". Canadian Football League. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "D-line depth: Lions add Betts, Richardson". Canadian Football League. February 8, 2022.
- ^ 3Down Staff (January 5, 2023). "B.C. Lions' defensive end Mathieu Betts works out for Jacksonville Jaguars". 3DownNation. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Game Notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "THE MOJ: Lions lose the game - and their poise - in 41-16 loss to Calgary". Victoria News. October 21, 2022.
- ^ "Mathieu Betts Wins CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award". BC Lions. November 16, 2023.
- ^ "Official 2024 Free Agent Tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Lions sign CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Mathieu Betts". CFL.ca. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Transactions". Detroit Lions. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Lions DL Mathieu Betts Waived". Detroit Lions On SI. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Dunk, Justin (August 28, 2024). "Canadian DL Mathieu Betts goes unclaimed on waivers, evaluating NFL and CFL options". 3DownNation. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (August 28, 2024). "BC Lions agree to terms with Canadian Mathieu Betts". TSN. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Lions bring back 2023 most outstanding defensive player Mathieu Betts". BC Lions. August 29, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (December 19, 2024). "Lions make Betts the CFL's highest-paid defensive player; Benevides to be DC". TSN. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
External links
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