Well, it's not every day that another league will openly admit to wanting a current NFL player, but it appears Philadelphia Eagles safety Sydney Brown finds himself in that situation.
This week, the Canadian Football League announced their negotiation lists for each of their nine teams. Why is this so important? It's the first time in the league's history they have ever done that.
For those that don't know what the negotiation list is, this is how the league defines it:
"Each CFL team maintains a Negotiation List of up to 45 players who are currently either unsigned or are playing in the NFL, in another professional league, or in college. Teams hold exclusive CFL negotiating rights with players on their lists, and those players can be added, traded or removed at any time."
What does this have to do with Brown? Well, the Toronto Argonauts own his player rights, should he ever want to play in the CFL.
Will Brown ever be seen in a CFL uniform?
It's important to note that Brown is a Canadian citizen as he was born in London, Ontario. He spent part of his high school life in Ontario before finishing up in Florida, where he got recruited to Illinois.
After playing for the Fighting Illini, the Eagles selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He showed promise in his rookie season, with his highlight play being a 99-yard pick-six against the Arizona Cardinals. An ACL injury at the end of 2023 cost him the first half of the 2024 season, and he didn't nearly get the playing time he got in his rookie season.
Brown now enters the 2025 season battling with second-round pick Andrew Mukuba and Tristin McCollum for the starting safety job that was held by C.J. Gardner-Johnson last year. Brown and Mukuba are both the favorites to win the job, but that won't be settled until training camp.
It appears that, based on his first two seasons in the NFL, Brown has a chance to play in the league for a while. A potential CFL career with the Argonauts would have to wait for quite some time.
Eagle defensive backs have played in the CFL in recent years, with the best example being Cre'Von LeBlanc, who spent last year with the Montreal Alouettes. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last.
Currently, Brown's inclusion on the Argonauts' list means nothing, as he still has an active NFL career. At least he has a plan B if his NFL career ends early.
