Davis Alexander, Tyson Philpot sweep CFL's top awards for Alouettes

MONTREAL · Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander was named the CFL's most outstanding player on Thursday, while his teammate and best friend, receiver Tyson Philpot, earned the league's top Canadian award. The pair surprised each other with the news during the team's photo shoot last Friday, with each tasked by the league to present the other's trophy. Alexander led the CFL in completion percentage (72.1), touchdowns (35) and 30-plus yard completions (37) while finishing second with 5,257 passing yards. Philpot set Canadian single-season records with 124 catches and 1,809 receiving yards.

"Super cool we were able to do this," Philpot said. "Me and him had goals coming into the season, so it's two out of three down." Alexander echoed the sentiment, calling it an "incredible honour" to be named most outstanding player and to see Philpot win top Canadian. "I think it could've gone either way for this guy. He definitely deserved it as well," Alexander said. "It was super special to share it in front of the whole organization and have Tyson present it and vice versa me present the trophy to Tyson."

Philpot began to suspect something was amiss when Alexander was late to the photo shoot. "Kind of my antenna started going off because I was like, 'I'm supposed to present this guy with the George Reed Most Outstanding Player award -- and he's not here,'" Philpot said. "Then I asked somebody (where Alexander was), and they smirked, and I was like, 'Ah, something is coming.'" Alexander entered and delivered a speech honouring his teammate, calling Philpot his best friend and congratulating him on the award. Alexander's 5,257 passing yards made him just the second Alouette to surpass 5,000 yards in a season, joining current offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo. Montreal posted a 13-3 record in games Alexander started, helping the team to a CFL-best 14-4 mark and first place in the East Division. In a video recorded at the event, Philpot said Alexander was the hardest worker in the organization and the earliest arrival at the facility.

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Philpot's 2026 campaign was historic, as he also tied for the league lead with 13 touchdown catches, more than double his previous best. He led the CFL in 30-plus yard catches (14), yards after catch (750) and receiving yards per game (113.1). Alexander highlighted Philpot's off-season dedication during his team address, saying, "This guy put in an unbelievable off-season; he kind of shut everybody up, and he put the league on notice." Voting for the awards was conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada. Alexander topped the most outstanding player voting with 236 points, with Philpot finishing second with 154 points. Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo, who posted career highs with 4,788 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, was third with 23 points. Alexander becomes the seventh Alouette to capture the top player honour, joining Pat Abbruzzi (1955), Hal Patterson (1956), George Dixon (1962), David Green (1979), Mike Pringle (1998) and Calvillo (2003, 2008-09).

Philpot received 48 of a possible 52 first-place votes for 245 points in the top Canadian category. B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke finished second with four first-place votes and 114 points, followed by Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (74 points) and Calgary Stampeders receiver Jalen Philpot (10 points), Tyson's twin brother. Rourke and Oliveira were also finalists for the award. Tyson Philpot is the sixth Alouette to be named the league's top Canadian, joining Terry Evanshen (1967), Gerry Dattilio (1980), Nick Arakgi (1984), Ben Cahoon (2002-03) and Henoc Muamba (2019). Up next: The Alouettes host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Division final on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Grey Cup on Nov. 15 in Calgary.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Sportsnet and Winnipeg Sun