Quarterback Taylor Elgersma hasn’t given up the dream of playing in the NFL. Despite Elgersma being drafted in the second round of the CFL draft and being taken by the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL draft, his eyes still seem to be set on the NFL. Elgersma, a Canadian national who played college football at the U Sports (Canada) level, not the NCAA level, got his start in professional football in 2025 with the Green Bay Packers after a successful workout at the team’s rookie minicamp. The Packers used 1 of their 30 pre-draft visits on Elgersma, making him the only quarterback who was reportedly brought in.
It has been reported by 3DownNation, which covers the CFL, and confirmed by Stallions head coach AJ McCarron, that Elgersma will be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine next week. This isn’t uncommon for out-of-work quarterbacks, as the combine typically prefers that non-combine invite rookies or out-of-work veterans be added to the event for the throwing portion of workouts, like the receivers running the gauntlet drill, etc. This allows combine invite rookie quarterbacks to focus on their performance in specific periods of the combine, instead of having to be used constantly throughout the week’s events.
So if you’re watching the combine on Friday (defensive backs and tight ends) or Saturday (quarterbacks, running backs and receivers), you might see a familiar face out there throwing the ball.
Elgersma went 16 of 23 for 166 yards and a touchdown for a 104.6 passer rating in the preseason last summer, but was released when the Packers’ roster went from 91 players to 53. Green Bay didn’t sign Elgersma back to the practice squad, instead choosing to go the Clayton Tune route.
Since then, Elgersma has received workouts with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, but has not gotten a second chance with an NFL team. Still, it seems like he would much rather try to get a crack at an NFL gig, even if it’s at the practice squad level, than play in another league.
Elgersma is very valuable to the CFL, as each side of the ball in the CFL must have at least seven “national” (Canadian) players on the field at all times. The five Americans on the field usually play the more impactful positions in the CFL. So, legitimate Canadian quarterbacks who perform as well as American options in the league allow teams to play with an extra American at a non-quarterback position offensively. These Canadian quarterbacks are often called “ratio breakers” up north.
That’s why the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took Elgersma in the second round of last year’s CFL draft, despite Elgersma having NFL potential. Since then, though, the drama surrounding when Elgersma will actually end up practicing for the Blue Bombers has been a point of contention.
Here’s what Elgersma said in late January:
“Winnipeg’s not a backup for anything. I have great respect for the culture of that locker room, for what the CFL is. I don’t view it at all as a plan A or plan B.”
That’s great to hear if you’re a Winnipeg fan, but the team’s general manager apparently feels differently, based on his comments in February:
“It’s a tough one. I talked to his (CFL) agent who is a Canadian guy, and then they have an American guy (for the NFL). They’re still trying, they’re still holding out hope that there’s an NFL contract … and there’s still the UFL, so they’re figuring it out. There is zero clarity,” general manager Kyle Walters recently told the media via videoconference.
“The longer it goes, from my standpoint, I guess the worse it feels that he’ll be in Winnipeg. I guess I was hoping come February 1, if there’s no futures (NFL) contract, that he’d jump at the opportunity to sign a Blue Bomber contract, but that has not been the case. They’re still sorting things out and hoping that there’s some NFL interest on their behalf and if there is, then he gets some workouts, and maybe he gets into a camp, I think is their ideal plan.”
Beyond that, McCarron of the UFL has stated that he believes that Elgersma will end up in the UFL this season. If that happens, there will certainly be some CFL fans who will be up in arms about Elgersma’s decision.
Another hurdle that Elgersma must clear is that he needs a United States work permit, which has been an issue for some Canadian players looking to play in the UFL. Last summer, the Packers signed an Irish kicker, Mark McNamee, who dealt with a visa issue for several weeks before finally being able to join the team, for example.