The Toronto Argonauts made a splash as the 2023 CFL Free Agency kicked off on Tuesday. They signed former Montreal Alouettes defensive back Adarius Pickett and former Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade.
In addition, they added former B.C. Lions running back Mario Villamizar, former Ottawa Redblacks offense lineman Darius Ciraco, and former Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Thomas Costigan.
Adarius Pickett, a 26-year-old from Berkeley, California, made 80 tackles, four sacks, one interception, one touchdown, and two forced fumbles in 16 games for the Alouettes in 2022. He played two seasons for Montreal with 115 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, one touchdown, and three sacks in 30 games.
Before coming to the CFL, Pickett spent time with the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Chargers. Collegiately, Pickett played four seasons at UCLA (2015-18) with 274 tackles, seven interceptions, 20 pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one blocked kick, and 23 punt returns for 199 yards in 50 games for the Bruins.
Folarin Orimolade, a 27-year-old from Washington, D.C., made 37 tackles, six sacks, one interception, one touchdown, and one forced fumble in 17 games for the Calgary Stampeders in 2022. Orimolade played three seasons at Calgary with 63 tackles, ten sacks, one interception, one touchdown, and three forced fumbles in 34 games.
Before coming to the CFL, Orimolade spent time with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted rookie in 2017. Collegiately, Orimolade played four seasons (2013-16) at Dartmouth with 143 tackles, 23.5 sacks, ten forced fumbles, and eight pass breakups in 39 games for the Big Green. His 23.5 sacks were the Big Green’s second-highest sack total in history. He was named Ivy League’s defensive player of the year in 2016 and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the best defensive player.
Mario Villamizar, a 27-year-old from St. Catherines, Ontario, had one kick return for 17 yards in 17 games for the B.C. Lions in 2022. Villamizar played three seasons for the Lions with two catches for 13 yards, and one kick return for 17 yards in 40 games. The Lions drafted Villamizar in the sixth round (49th pick) in the 2019 CFL Draft.
Collegiately, Villamizar played four seasons at Wilfred Laurier (2015-18) with 16 catches for 191 yards, five touchdowns, and three kick returns for eight yards in 41 games for the Golden Hawks. He is part of the 2016 Golden Hawks Men’s Football OUA Champions and was named OUA Men’s Football Second Team All-Star in 2018.
Thomas Costigan, a 25-year-old from Stamford, Connecticut, made four tackles, one sack, and two forced fumbles for the Montreal Alouettes in 2022. Montreal acquired him in a trade with the Edmonton Elks. In two seasons with Edmonton, Costigan has 38 tackles, three tackles on special teams, and nine sacks in 22 games.
Costigan played four seasons at Bryant University with 285 tackles, 26 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, nine pass breakups, one block, and three interceptions in 44 games.
Darius Ciraco, a 27-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, played 16 games for the Ottawa Redblacks in 2022. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats drafted Ciraco in the first round (6th pick) in the 2018 CFL Draft. He played 46 games in three seasons for Hamilton that included two trips to the Grey Cup.
Collegiately, Ciraco played 39 games in four seasons at the University of Calgary (2014-17) with one assist tackle. He was named U Sports Second Team All-Canadian and Canada West All-Star in 2018.
