CFL names finalists for top Canadian, rookie and offensive lineman awards

Explainer

The Canadian Football League has revealed the finalists for three of its year-end awards, with Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke and Montreal Alouettes receiver Tyson Philpot vying for Most Outstanding Canadian. The league also announced the three finalists for Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman on Tuesday. This marks a change from the previous format, which featured one finalist from each division. The winners will be announced through surprise online presentations instead of a traditional awards ceremony.

Oliveira, the CFL's top rusher this season with 1,493 yards, is seeking his third Most Outstanding Canadian award after winning in 2023 and 2024. The Winnipeg native also caught 42 passes for 348 yards and scored eight total touchdowns. He moved past Jon Cornish into third place on the CFL's all-time rushing yardage list by a Canadian, now with 6,973 career yards. Oliveira was named the league's Most Outstanding Player in 2024 and was a runner-up for the award in 2023. He was also named the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian Player for the fourth consecutive season in 2026.

READ MORE: Tyler Kahmann named CFL's most outstanding rookie for 2026

READ MORE: Tyson Philpot sets three records as Alouettes clinch East Division

Rourke, the reigning Most Outstanding Canadian and league outstanding player from 2025, threw for 4,614 yards and 24 touchdowns this season while completing 70.5 per cent of his passes. The Victoria native also ran for 356 yards, averaging 11.5 yards per carry, with three touchdowns. Philpot led the CFL in receptions (124), receiving yards (1,809) and touchdown catches (13) for Montreal. The Delta, B.C., product set new Canadian standards for receptions and yards in a season, accomplishing both feats in 16 games. He also broke the CFL’s receiving yardage record among Canadian players and set a new team record for receptions in a season.

Who are the rookie and offensive lineman finalists?

The finalists for Most Outstanding Rookie are Toronto Argonauts receiver Tyler Kahmann, B.C. Lions linebacker Parker McKenna and Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Major Williams. Kahmann had 77 catches for 1,092 yards and eight touchdowns in his debut season. The 26-year-old initially joined the team’s practice roster in 2025 but didn’t make his regular-season CFL debut until 2026. McKenna appeared in all 18 games for B.C., registering 75 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, four tackles for a loss, a sack and two forced fumbles. He made 15 starts at weak-side linebacker.

Williams started all 18 games for the Blue Bombers in the defensive secondary. He led the team with three interceptions and ranked second on the squad with 77 defensive tackles, adding nine special teams tackles and one tackle for a loss. The 25-year-old made 17 starts at boundary cornerback and one start at boundary halfback. For Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, the finalists are Winnipeg's Jarell Broxton and Montreal's Nick Callender and Pier-Olivier Lestage. Broxton started 17 games at right tackle for the Blue Bombers in his first season with the team after signing as a free agent. He was the unanimous selection as the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.

Callender started 12 games at left tackle for an Alouettes offensive line that allowed a league-low 19 sacks. The 32-year-old native of Berkeley, Calif., has earned three-straight All-East Division selections. Lestage started 17 of 18 games at left guard for a Montreal offence that led the CFL in yards per game (420.9) and yards per play (7.5). The 29-year-old native of Saint-Eustache, Que., is in his fifth season with Montreal and was named All-East Division for the first time in 2025.

How has the awards process changed?

The CFL has altered its awards process this year, naming three finalists for each category regardless of division. Previously, each award had two finalists, one from the East Division and one from the West Division. Voting was conducted by 36 members of the local chapters of the Football Reporters of Canada and 20 national members. The league also confirmed it will not hold an annual awards ceremony this year. Instead, winners will learn of their accomplishment through surprise presentations that will be shared online. The finalists for the remaining three awards will be announced on Wednesday. Those categories are Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. The announcement concludes the first phase of the league's revamped awards process for the 2026 season.

With files from Sportsnet, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and 3DownNation