Michael Sam may have a difficult time making an NFL roster now that he has been released twice and did not perform well at the NFL Veteran Combine. Could he be considering giving the Canadian Football League a try?
Jim Popp, the general manager of the Montreal Alouettes, believes his team has a decent chance of signing Sam.
“The CFL is cut out perfectly for his style,” Popp told the Montreal Gazette on Tuesday. “It would give him the opportunity to do what he does best.
“His agent knows. They’re ready. They know this (CFL) may be what it is. It’s Michael who has to make the decision — and he might never come. The indications were he was ready to come last fall, and he’s still not with us. So I really don’t know. Seriously, I’d say our chances are 50/50.”
The Alouettes have had Sam’s exclusive CFL negotiating rights since his senior year at Missouri. As you know, Sam was taken by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the NFL draft after he graduated. He was later released and signed with the Dallas Cowboys, but that didn’t work out, either.
At the combine last month, Sam expressed confidence he will get another shot in the NFL.
“We’re kept up to speed at least monthly. The interest is there,” Popp said. “He’s exhausting all potential NFL opportunities before deciding on the CFL.
“If someone wants to really play football, they’ll take that (CFL) opportunity. When they do, and if he does what I think he can, truthfully, there will be NFL teams after him again. That’s what will happen. Someone will see him differently.”
Popp noted that Sam’s size has him caught between being a defensive end and a linebacker in the NFL, which is something many scouts have said. He’s not fast enough to be an NFL linebacker and he may not be big enough to be a lineman.
At this point, the CFL may be Sam’s best option. He’s only 25, so playing in the CFL would not necessarily squash his hopes of playing in the NFL. As one bisexual NFL player reportedly said recently, Sam has been given opportunities and failed to impress.
