The defending CFL champion Toronto Argonauts have announced several surprising player cuts as the club has pared down its roster for the upcoming 2025 Regular Season, which kicks off for the Boatmen next Friday night against the Alouettes in Montreal.
Among the Argos 18 releases are veterans quarterback Cameron Dukes, and defensive back Ciante Evans.
Because of age and experience, Dukes is more of a surprise, considering the role he played a year ago in place of Chad Kelly. A role that Dukes lost out on when head coach Ryan Dinwiddie turned back the clock reuniting with unlikely hero Nick Arbuckle.
Dukes, a former Indoor League standout who signed with the Boatmen in 2023, produced a 4-5 win-loss record with the Argonauts last season. He completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 1,444 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing 57 times for 321 yards and four majors.
With Chad Kelly cleared for return, and Nick Arbuckle firmly entrenched as the ultimate insurance policy. Dukes became expendable. For now, Jarrett Doege and Tucker Horn are the new blood backing up Kelly and Arbuckle, but there could be tweaks by Toronto along the way as to who is positioned as Option C on the pivot.
However, the one release that stands out above all others is star running back Ka’Deem Carey, who was one of the key figures to last year’s improbable championship run by Toronto.
Carey started all 18 regular-season games and three postseason contests for Toronto last season. The 32-year-old rushed 191 times for 1,060 yards, 5.5 per carry, with seven touchdowns while also registering 37 receptions for 356 yards and one score.
Carey rushed nine times for 43 yards in the East Semi-Final, 12 times for 92 yards in the East Final, and 15 times for 79 yards with one touchdown in the Grey Cup.
After the smoke settled on the Argos’ Grey Cup victory, the club inked Carey to a contract extension with a $20,000 signing bonus. However, Toronto boasts a deep backfield with the return of Deonta McMahon and the emergence of rookies Miyan Williams and Jyran Mitchell. The team has decided to start a new chapter as a new campaign begins.
All nine CFL teams had to make their final roster cuts by 10:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 31. Carey, a two-time Grey Cup winner, could have multiple suitors. But the former fourth-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, who has been in Canada for the last seven years, might struggle to find a similar feature role elsewhere.
As the Argos have demonstrated in the last few years under the highly successful Ryan Dinwiddie/Pinball Clemons regime, they are not deterred from making tough roster decisions with a focus on the future. Most championship teams will hang on to the euphoria and nostalgia of winning it all for as long as possible. The Boatmen are looking ahead.
Toronto Argonauts Final Roster Moves
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