While NFL fans may argue that their league has the best quarterbacks, there’s no denying that the pigskin hurlers in the CFL are capable of making splashes across football betting websites. In fact some fans would argue that the CFL provides the opportunity for player development in athletes that are looking to make the jump to the NFL. Such was the case for Jeff Garcia, Joe Theismann, and Warren Moon who just happen to be some of the most memorable names in NFL history.
While the rules changes vastly from one league to another, at the end of the day tossing a football is tossing a football. The opportunity for a jump from the CFL to the NFL is always there, but is always more readily available to the most talented players. So, which CFL quarterbacks have the best opportunity of transitioning to the NFL?
The Calgary Stampeders failed to defend their Grey Cup title in 2015, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. There’s no denying Bo Mitchell is the face of this franchise, all that’s left is for the Stampeders to do is find some talent at the receiver position. They had considerable talent in Eric Rogers, but in the end Rogers departed for the NFL.
Last season Mitchell had an impressive 65.6% completion rate and threw for over 4,500 yards. Unfortunately his touchdown-to-interception ratio was shoddy at best, throwing 26 touchdowns and 13 picks. Mitchell is signed to the Stampeders until 2018 when he’ll be 28. If he keeps his play up there will definitely be a position on an NFL roster as a backup. The football betting odds peg the Stampeders as the 3rd favorites to win this year’s cup and this ranking can be highly attributed to their quarterback.
Next on this list is a quarterback who might be a bit old to make the jump to the NFL but is still a force to be reckoned with in the CFL, Mike Reilly. The most noteworthy aspect of Reilly’s season last year was his remarkable recovery from his knee injury suffered in week 1. Even though he missed a good portion of the season Reilly was still able to throw for 15 touchdowns and 2,449 yards with a completion percentage of 65%. Reilly is also inked until the 2018 season and there’s not too many football betting experts banking on him moving to the NFL.
Third on this list is BC Lion’s quarterback Jonathon Jennings. Last season Jennings lead the Lion’s to their 19th consecutive playoff appearance and they’re in a good position to make that 20 this season. Jennings has the highest completion rating on this list coming in at 66%. Lulay was the starter at the beginning of the season but his poor play opened the door for Jennings who didn’t hesitate to capitalize on the opportunity.
Jennings was able to lead the faulty Lions to a 3-3 record and a playoff berth, finishing with 15 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions and 2,004 yards. At 23-years old Jennings play shows that he could one day make the jump into the NFL. If the Lions are able to build a team around this young star there’s no doubt they’ll become online betting favorites.