Sean Thomas-Erlington Makes Surprising Move to Join Alouettes After Years with Tiger-Cats
Thomas-Erlington Opens Up About Career Transition to the Montreal Gazette
In the past, Canadian running back Sean Thomas-Erlington consistently rebuffed offers from the Alouettes as a free agent, opting instead to re-sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
However, this time felt different to him. With the release of William Stanback, there appeared to be a potential opening in the Alouettes’ backfield. Additionally, at 31 years old and entering his seventh CFL season, Thomas-Erlington recognized that the end of his career was likely approaching rapidly. If he didn’t sign now, it might never happen. Weighing these factors, the 5-foot-9, 217-pound Thomas-Erlington made the decision to join the Als, finalizing the move last Tuesday, the opening day of free agency.
Speaking with the Montreal Gazette over the phone, Thomas-Erlington expressed his sentiments, “I’m feeling like eventually, this career is about to come to an end, being realistic… I know there’s a lot of guys on the Montreal team I’ve played with on the Carabins. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do … to get back that feeling of just playing with the boys. It has been in the back of my mind since the end of last season. It felt like the right time. I feel like everything just aligned.”
A Montreal native, Thomas-Erlington was drafted by the Ticats in the eighth round (66th overall) in 2017, having played college football at Université de Montréal under Als general manager Danny Maciocia, who was the head coach of the Carabins at the time. The team won the Vanier Cup in 2014.
As he enters this season, Thomas-Erlington has accumulated 76 career regular-season games, amassing 1,258 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He has also caught 75 passes for 721 yards with four touchdowns.
The 2023 season proved to be his least productive with Hamilton, possibly making his departure from the organization more acceptable. Beginning the season on injured reserve, Thomas-Erlington was limited to just 11 games, recording 16 carries for 88 yards and catching 12 passes for 90 yards, scoring a combined two touchdowns.
