The Edmonton Elks and veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux agreed to a one-year contract extension on Friday. The 35-year-old from Alexandria, Louisiana, made 39 catches for 513 yards, and one touchdown in 12 games for the Elks in 2022.
He was named the Tom Pate Memorial Award in 2022 by the CFL Players Association for outstanding sportsmanship in making a significant contribution to his team, his community, and Association.
“There was unfinished business with how the 2022 season went,” Arceneaux said. “I just felt there was so much more I had to give on and off the field. If God was going to give me an opportunity to come back and play the game that I love and take so much pride in, it’s one of those opportunities that I couldn’t just leave on the table.”
Arceneaux came out of retirement to join Edmonton on January 26th. He last played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019 with 22 catches for 249 yards, and two touchdowns in 11 games. Arceneaux spent his eight seasons (2009-18) with the BC Lions with 556 catches for 8,169 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 29 carries for 102 yards.
“Being able to add to my legacy and climb up (the leaderboards) and be a guy of great character that always displays the CFL at its highest standard is a blessing,” said Arceneaux. “The day that I’m no longer wearing those cleats, it would be great to be in talks of, ‘Can he be on the Wall of Honor? Was he a guy that played to the potential of being a Hall of Famer?”
Arceneaux has played in 152 games with 617 catches for 8,931 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 29 carries for 102 yards. He is a three-time CFL West All-Star (2014-16) and a two-time CFL All-Star (2015-16).
