The Ottawa Redblacks and defenseman Drew Brown have agreed to a contract restructure through the 2026 season, sources have confirmed. 3DownNation.
Brown was scheduled to receive a $150,000 offseason bonus on Jan. 15 under the previous terms of his agreement, which would have paid him $412,500 in 2026 with a cap hit of $501,500 after incentives. New details are not yet known.
In 2025, Brown appeared in 11 regular-season games but started nine games. combating neck, hip and knee problems. He posted a 2-7 record at the helm and completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and ranked eighth in the league in passer rating (minimum 100 attempts).
The 28-year-old was acquired by the Redblacks at the start of the 2024 season and started 15 games, compiling an 8-6-1 record and leading Ottawa to the postseason. He completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,959 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Palo Alto, California native spent his first three seasons in the CFL as a backup for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, starting three games when Zach Collaros was sidelined with injury. He threw for 1,484 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions while appearing in five majors.
New Redblacks head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie said that following his hiring, hehow “comfortable” it is to continue with Brown as franchise quarterback in Ottawabut the offseason bonus included a deadline to make a decision. The contract restructuring likely means the team will stick with him for another season, although perhaps not at the original price.
In 2025, the Redblacks finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4–14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ottawa ranked sixth in net offense, fifth in net defense and ninth with a minus-16 turnover differential.
The team's leading rusher was William Stanback with 698 yards, the leading receiver was Justin Hardy with 1,019 yards, and the leading tackler was Adarius Pickett with 84 tackles. Ottawa ranked eighth in attendance with an average attendance of 18,136, down 4.2 per cent from the previous year.
