SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 28: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions reacts prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Detroit Lions have bolstered their defensive depth by signing a superstar player from up north.

Per TSN’s Farhan Lalji, Detroit has fittingly signed former BC Lions CFL star Mathieu Betts to a futures contract. The 28-year-old won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors last season.

 

The Montreal, Quebec, native was drafted third overall by Edmonton in 2019. The Lions’ NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears, actually signed Betts as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft.

However, Betts was released by the Bears shortly before the start of the regular season. He then spent the next three years in Edmonton before landing with the powerhouse Lions in 2022 free agency.

The Laval product had a career year for the Lions in 2023, racking up 18 sacks and four forced fumbles. Betts helped the Lions to the CFL West Final for the second straight year, but they were ousted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers once again.

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Joe Theismann, Cameron Wake, Warren Moon and Doug Flutie are just several of the more notable names who started out in the CFL before becoming superstars in the NFL. Now we’ll see if Dan Campbell and the Lions can find a way to fully unlock Betts’ potential at the NFL level.