Roughriders sign star receiver/returner Alford to contract extension

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American receiver/returner Mario Alford to a contract extension, the CFL team announced Wednesday.

Alford was fourth in the league with 2,071 all-purpose yards in 2004, his third season with the Roughriders.

He was third in the league in punt return yards (801), kickoff return yards (1,077) and average yards per kickoff return (23.9). Alford was one of only three players to register a kickoff return touchdown in 2024, running one back 101 yards.

Alford joined the Roughriders via a trade with Montreal in Week 5 of the 2022 season and went on to be named the CFL’s outstanding special teams player.

He returned a missed field goal 112 yards for a touchdown, had kickoff return touchdowns of 98 and 92 yards and a punt return TD of 104 yards that season, becoming the fifth player in CFL history to return a kickoff, a punt and a missed field goal for a touchdown in a single campaign.

He was a West Division all-star in 2023 after returning 88 punts for 978 yards and three touchdowns.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2024.