Canadian defensive end Taylor Elgersma practiced with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, according to NFL sources.
It's a scenario the strong QB and his camp have been waiting for since he was released by the Green Bay Packers in August. Many NFL teams are struggling with injuries or have begun to look to the future. Elgersma is a free agent, meaning franchises could bring him into the building immediately and give both teams a jump start on next season.
49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan showed enough interest in Elgersma to send him to the Bay Area. San Francisco Northeast region scout Eric Thatcher attended his pro day in March.. The Niners currently have rookie Brock Purdy and reserve Mac Jones on the active roster and Adrian Martinez on the practice squad.
The 49ers already have one Canadian QB under contract in Kurtis Rourke. on the team's non-football injury list after being selected in the seventh round, 227th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft. It was Elgersma's first NFL practice since Aug. 27. when the New York Giants landed him.
Green Bay waived Elgersma after training camp, then went undrafted and became an NFL free agent. The 23-year-old completed 16 of 23 passes for 166 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions during three NFL preseason games with the Packers, recording a QB rating of 104.6.
The six-foot-five, 227-pound passer signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in May following rookie tryout at minicamp, becoming the fourth Canadian university QB to sign with an NFL team and the first since 1987. He quit touchdown pass during Packers Family Night scrimmage on Saturday, August 2 and flashed despite limited reps in training camp.
London, Ontario. The native won the Hec Crighton Trophy, Canada's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, in 2024, leading Wilfrid Laurier University to a Vanier Cup appearance. This earned him the chance to become the first Canadian collegiate quarterback and second U Sports player ever invited to the Senior Bowl All-Star Game.
In four years with the Golden Hawks, Elgersma completed 72 percent of his passes for 10,230 yards, 76 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 39 games. He rushed 122 times for 572 yards, averaging 4.7 per carry and 18 touchdowns. The big QB was named MVP of the Ontario University Athletics Conference twice, earning first-team All-Canadian honors in 2024 and second-team in 2023.
Elgersma's exclusive CFL rights are held by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as he was selected in the second round, 18th overall, in the 2025 CFL Draft. The Bombers would like to sign him eventuallybut he won't return to the three-down game until his NFL options are exhausted.
