Mixed Opinions From Players and Fans after CFL Announces Rule Changes
Photo Credit: CFL
On Sept. 22, Canadian Football League (CFL) Commissioner Stewart Johnston announced a barrage of rule changes to the league for the upcoming 2026 and 2027 seasons. These changes, including revamped field dimensions and modifying Canada’s beloved rouge (the single point awarded for certain plays when the ball goes out of or through the end zone), are facing mixed opinions from players and fans. Some believe these changes will grow the game, while others think it will hurt the league and its fans.
In the upcoming 2026 season, teams will no longer be awarded a rouge for any kick or punt that goes out of or through the end zone. Instead, the only way to score a rouge will be if a punt or missed field goal is caught/touched/held by a returner in the endzone, and the returner chooses to kneel or gets tackled in the endzone by the opposing team.
The CFL’s play clock will also be modified. Before, if teams moved the ball down the field, a 20-second play clock would be whistled in by an official, which usually didn’t happen until five to ten seconds after the play. However, starting next year, a new 35-second play clock will start as soon as the play is dead.
The dimensions of the field will also be changed significantly starting in the 2027 season. The 110-yard playing field will be reduced to 100 yards, the endzone length will be shortened from 20 yards to 15 yards, and the field goal posts will be moved from the front to the back of the endzones. All these changes make the field dimensions similar to those used by the National Football League (NFL) in the United States.
Commissioner Johnston is a firm believer that these changes will grow the game for the better. “This is all about making our great game even more entertaining. We are trading field goals for touchdowns, while improving fan experience in stadiums and at home,” said Johnston in a press conference on Sept. 22. “These changes are the most significant in decades. We are retaining the unique elements upon which our traditions stand, but innovating where change is needed to evolve our world-class game.”
The CFL projects a 10 per cent increase in completions in the endzone and 60 more touchdowns per season as a result of moving the goalposts.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers President and CEO, Wade Miller, is also in favour of the new rules. "It's going to focus on trying to make more aggressive play-calling by coaches [and] increased scoring, so this isn't changing the game — it's just evolving the game," Miller told CBC News. "We're trying to make it better and the changes today are reflective of […] more consistent game flow, less downtime, more action. We're hoping that this adds to the entertainment value of this great league that we already have."
On the other hand, Nathan Rourke, BC Lions quarterback and winner of the 2022 CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award, isn't a fan of the upcoming changes. “The new rule changes are garbage, it's garbage. [...] Fans and people who play in this league grew up watching the CFL and loving the game,” Rourke said when asked about the changes in a media conference on the day of the announcement. “I grew up in Ontario, playing [with Canadian football] rules all my life, was aware and a fan of the [NFL] down there, but was a fan of the CFL because of its differences.”
Rourke also had a brief stint in the NFL across multiple teams’ practice squads before returning to the CFL and the BC Lions in 2023. “I went down to the States proud of the game, being able to explain the differences, the waggle, the yards, the extra person. These are things that are unique about the game — that make it different. And the rule changes to me make it sound like we want to be like that league down south.”
Rourke also added that he felt the worst part about the rule changes was that the players, coaches, and team management were not consulted in the decision. Instead, the changes were independently picked and chosen by CFL’s upper management.
Many fans aren't too happy with the CFL’s new changes either, including Collin Doyle, a longtime Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan and season ticket holder. “I’m livid. It's ridiculous. It completely misses the point as usual. I would say that whoever is in charge in Toronto has no idea about how to grow the Canadian game."
"It's just an Americanization of the game, and I don't know that it makes [the CFL] better. I think it makes it worse," said Doyle. "I think those are key things that make our game what it is."
Commissioner Johnston understands the love of CFL traditions from Canadian Football fans, but stands by his decisions, according to CBC News. "We understand the passion of our fans," he said. "But I've also heard as I've gone market to market that a lot of our fans are yearning for some change.
"I truly believe this is going to elevate our game and as people think about it and what we're trying to achieve, I believe we're going to have a really good reception," he added.
This is Johnston's first season as CFL Commissioner, after taking the position from recently retired Randy Ambroise in April of this year.