The Alouettes sign free agent Tevin Jones to bolster their receiving corps

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There's no guarantee Tevin Jones will make Alouettes fans forget Austin Mack.

But after Mack recently signed with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, the defending Gray Cup champions needed to add talent at the receiver position. Montreal hopes to do just that by signing import Jones on Tuesday, the opening day of CFL free agency.

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The Als also signed Derek Wiggan, a Canadian who spent seven seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, marking a potential change in the line following the release of veteran Almondo Sewell last week. Montreal also added non-import defensive tackle Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund from the Stampeders.

Jones, Wiggan and Adeyemi-Berglund agreed to terms during the league's negotiating window last week. Tuesday was the first day CFL teams could officially announce signings.

Montreal also announced the signing of Sean Thomas-Earlington, a Canadian who played collegiately at the University of Montreal under Als general manager Danny Macchiocchia. Thomas-Earlington, a Montreal native, has been effective with Hamilton despite experiencing several injury issues.

“I talked to my family about it and I thought it was the best move for me,” Jones told the Montreal Gazette by phone from his winter home in Houston. “It was a difficult decision, but I had to give it my all at the time. It was the best for me.”

At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Jones adds another big target for quarterback Cody Fajardo, as Tyson Philpott, who won the Gray Cup against Winnipeg, is a modest 6-foot-195 pounds, and Tyler Snead is a modest 6-foot-195. only 5-foot-7 and 180.

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In 17 games with Saskatchewan last season, Jones, 31, caught 65 passes for 882 yards and three touchdowns. He originally signed with the Roughriders in 2021, only to be released before training camp to sign with Jacksonville. He rejoined Saskatchewan in '22. Jones played other NFL games in Houston, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Dallas. In five games with the Steelers in 2019, he caught four passes for 61 yards.

The move to Montreal reunites Jones with Fajardo and head coach Jason Maas, Saskatchewan's former offensive coordinator.

“It's great to come to a team that won the Gray Cup,” Jones said. “It will be great to come to Maas and play. He is a great striker. Playing with Kodi is great too. Going for the quarterback you already know. It's just what works best for me.

“I bring the best. All I can do is give them what I can and show them what they get — a great ball handler.”

Wiggan, also 31, brings leadership qualities to Als, who has twice won the Ring of Presidents as voted by his former teammates. The recipient will be recognized for excellence on and off the field.

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In 127 regular-season games for Calgary, the 6-foot-1, 303-pound Wiggan had 159 defensive tackles, including 13 tackles for loss. He also had 16 quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups. He had four sacks in 18 games last season and won the Gray Cup in 2018. Wiggan, a native of Toronto, was selected by the Stamps in the fourth round (34th overall) in 2014.

“It's kind of a business,” Wiggan told The Gazette from Toronto, where he works as a commercial insurance broker. “I've been in Calgary for a long time. He saw other guys who were much better than me and left. Sometimes that's just how business works. Montreal's success made it a very attractive position for me, building on the foundations that are already there.

“I'm a person who comes to work every day with a hat. Winning is very important to me. I just want to be the guy that I can count on, that I can keep doing what's going well. Montreal won the Gray Cup. I don't need to add. They have the foundation of a championship. I'm adding a little bit of myself to it.”

Jones and Wiggan have both signed one-year contracts.

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