After losing 19-16 against the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Finals and missing out on the Grey Cup, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are looking to rebound as they head into the 2026 season.
The team finished in first place in the regular season standings in the Eastern Division with an 11-7 record.
Among key moves made so far this offseason, on Dec. 11, the Tiger-Cats announced that they had re-signed star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to a two-year deal.
He was set to become a free agent had Hamilton not signed him.
Although Mitchell, 35, is nearing retirement age, the deal means that he will continue to play for Hamilton through the 2027 season.
Mitchell led the Canadian Football League in both passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2025, marking the second consecutive season he has accomplished the feat.
Mitchell has won two Grey Cup championships with the Calgary Stampeders (2014 and 2018) and will hope to get another with the Tiger-Cats.
Mitchell commented, “It’s exciting to be back. As soon as the season was over, I just didn’t feel like it was over. I took the pads off, and it didn’t feel like I was taking them off for the last time, so I was very, very excited to make this decision.”
“We have an amazing team, an amazing organization and amazing people around us. It’s one of the best locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of, and I love going to work every day.”
Among other key re-signings for 2026 are defensive backs Jamal Peters and Stavros Katsantonis, and offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg.
Peters’ re-signing was announced on Dec. 10, and he will stay on for at least two more years.
Peters had 50 defensive tackles and six interceptions in 16 games in 2025 and was named to the All-CFL and East Division All-CFL teams.
He won a Grey Cup with the Toronto Argos in 2022.
Katsantonis signed a three-year contract with the club and was also named to the All-CFL and East Division All-CFL teams.
He recorded 69 defensive tackles, three special teams tackles, and six interceptions in 17 games in 2025.
Revenberg’s extension was announced on Jan. 6 and saw him agree to a one-year contract.
Revenberg is a four-time East Division Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.
Revenberg, an Essex, Ontario native, joined the club in 2016 and has appeared in 156 career games over nine seasons.
CFL free agency will open up on Feb. 10, meaning that players with expiring contracts will become available to other teams.
At the time this article was written, Tiger-Cats’ running back Greg Bell, defensive end Julian Howsare, and receiver Tim White are all without a contract for the 2026 season.
A number of other players on the offensive line and all of the team’s backup quarterbacks also remain without a deal.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
