Breaking News; Canadian defensive lineman Mathieu Betts on one year contract

Canadian defensive lineman Mathieu Betts didn’t receive any guaranteed money from the Detroit Lions when he signed a one-year contract with the team on Tuesday but he feels confident about his chances of earning a permanent spot on the squad.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to be able to compete and to try to make that roster and I feel like I have a really good chance of doing it,” Betts told the media via videoconference on Wednesday. “Especially in the NFL, that’s the roster we were the most confident that I could that crack. It was the first workout that I had this off-season and the chemistry, the energy, the discussions I’ve had with the staff there just felt right.”

Betts did three workouts down south following a standout season with the B.C. Lions and, per sources, received at least one NFL offer with guaranteed money. He elected to forgo that security to sign with Detroit, a team that has had unheralded players with no signing bonuses make the 53-man roster in the recent past.

The Montreal native’s decision came following discussions with Betts’ family members and friends, as well as his agent, Sasha Ghavami, who is well-versed in the NFL having previously represented Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Antony Auclair.

Betts is unsure of his role in Detroit’s scheme, but it seems the team was drawn to his strong work ethic.

“I felt a sense of relief and greatness as soon as we revealed the team that represented our ultimate choice. For that reason, I knew I had made the proper choice since I am at peace with my choice. I’m ecstatic and quite proud of myself. Right now, that’s all I can ask because I think it’s appropriate,” he stated.

“They saw my strength on film and that’s something that they really liked, that fit their team in terms of working hard. The one thing they told me that popped off film is they saw somebody that was working hard and after they got that box checked, then they started looking at different athletic capacities and football capacities.”

This isn’t Betts’ first shot at the NFL as he signed with the Chicago Bears in 2019 immediately after his sensational collegiate career at Université Laval. He was waived at the conclusion of training camp and signed his first CFL contract only 10 days later, joining the Edmonton Elks, who’d taken him in the first round of that year’s draft.

The NFL wasn’t on his radar when he returned north and Betts doesn’t plan to make any changes to his training regiment now that he’s returning south, feeling that he’s grown stronger, leaner, and more explosive since his last NFL opportunity.

“You can’t buy experience and I’m trying to explain that to younger players. Some of them get it and some of them will get it (as they get older), but when you get to a training camp in the NFL and then you play four seasons in the CFL, you see good players, you acquire experience, you see the pre-snap keys quicker, so it just helps you make more decisive decisions and playing faster,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s anything that I did five years ago that I don’t do better now, so I feel like I’m in a better situation football-wise to make an NFL roster.”

Betts has yet to meet Dan Campbell, Detroit’s affable head coach, who garnered international attention in 2021 when he talked about his team biting the kneecaps of opposing players. Most of his contact has been with Rob Lohman, the Lions’ director of pro scouting, though Brad Holmes, the club’s general manager, got involved last week as Betts was making his final decision.

The 28-year-old made a lot of friendships in Vancouver over the past two years as he recorded 68 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, 25 sacks, and four forced fumbles over 36 games to be named a CFL all-star and the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2023. He’s not ruling out a return to the CFL at some point in the future and appreciates the support he’s given given as he gets ready to retry the NFL.